tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52628142806490646702024-03-06T01:11:41.389+05:30Brandy, Whisky & All That...The thoughts and deliberations of the curious mind...Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-78324487080010333082016-11-09T14:29:00.001+05:302016-11-09T14:29:57.549+05:30Chaiwallahs are collateral damage in a Chaiwallah’s war<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
As soon as PM Narendra Modi announced that currency notes in
the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 would be demonetised immediately,
people ran to the nearest ATMs and began withdrawing Rs 100 denomination notes.
And then… the ATMs ran out of money.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, as I was going about gauging the mood around town, I
stopped for tea at my usual <b><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2013/06/the-kitli-much-more-than-just-tea.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">kitli</span></a></b>. After the usual pleasantries with my
usual chaiwallah, I took my cup of tea and sat down with my phone to check for
updates on the US election. Donald Trump had won. OK, no comments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But then I saw something closer to home. Something I am
going to call the ‘short-term collateral damage of demonetisation of notes’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKSYX7zk_IOIUGBjNdWroknAeL365VZODTa_tjgvleI9_l9ae0dv4_gH0ndtYOrcRX_b0JZLbTw6yWRY-nX3JMp__wwjgML_gSKtEaU-kgFF0OdOvthd6I2Ls5fKjkHTby0H-fS0Fp-Lk/s1600/Kitli+by+Joel+George.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKSYX7zk_IOIUGBjNdWroknAeL365VZODTa_tjgvleI9_l9ae0dv4_gH0ndtYOrcRX_b0JZLbTw6yWRY-nX3JMp__wwjgML_gSKtEaU-kgFF0OdOvthd6I2Ls5fKjkHTby0H-fS0Fp-Lk/s400/Kitli+by+Joel+George.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Joel George</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The chaiwallah was arguing with his stockist. Since this was
a <b><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2015/01/killing-our-kitli-culture.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">small kitli</span></a> </b>at the corner of residential block, there wasn’t much
traffic here and there are lesser customers. Hence, cigarette sales also aren’t
that great. So the stockist gave the chaiwallah two boxes of cigarettes and
chaiwallah handed over an Rs 500 denomination note to pay for it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, the stockist refused to take it, saying that he
would not accept anything except Rs 100 notes. Now, the chaiwallah only
had Rs 500 notes since he got the news only this morning and by that time, all
the ATMs in the area were already out of cash and customers were unwilling to exchange his notes for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a lot of haggling, the stockist came up with a
solution. He would give the chaiwallah the boxes on credit instead of either
taking the Rs 500 note or not selling the cigarettes to him at all. The chaiwallah,
out of options, agreed and put his Rs 500 note back into his pocket with a
sigh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He then turned to me and said, <span style="color: yellow;">“What have we poor people
done? Why should we have to suffer for all the black money these businessmen
and politicians have accumulated? We hardly have enough money to run our
business and our house.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And thus, the chaiwallah remains the unwilling and helpless
collateral damage in this nationwide war on black money initiated by one of his
own.</div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-67537306360854791262016-10-31T14:41:00.001+05:302016-10-31T14:54:20.661+05:30Ahmedabad, you don’t deserve Diwali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you
celebrate Diwali by bursting crackers? Do you do so on the street? Then this is
just the post for you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Dear
entitled, illiterate, rich leech,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You are
quite the explosives expert and you certainly have the means to purchase
expensive firecrackers and burst them in front of your family, friends,
neighbours and anyone else who would like to compete with you in your little phallus
measuring contest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">And just
because you can afford these things, you think you are entitled to do so
wherever and whenever you wish without a care for those who are too evolved,
too mature or just too tired from a hard day’s work to stoop down to your level
of utter stupidity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You are
indiscriminate</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You are the
ones who live in big bungalows and high rises but prefer to burst your crackers
out on the street because you either don’t want to spoil your squeaky clean
colony or disturb your immediate neighbours because they will actually do
something about your ridiculous behaviour. So, you decide to burst your
crackers out on the street without a care for either pedestrians or drivers.
You are a glutton for punishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You are callous</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You are the
ones with the big cars and thousands of rupees worth of crackers who dare not
burst them in your colony and so you drive to the street, far from your house,
and do so in the middle of the road, all the while shamelessly laughing at your
own callousness and the discomfort of others. Your parents should be ashamed of
what you have become.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You are
dumb</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You believe
that since the road is public property, your daddy owns it. Surprise you idiot,
he doesn’t. We all, and that includes the people you don’t care about, have
paid to have these roads built and maintained and we have the right to safe
passage without have to bother about getting set on fire or meeting with an
accident just because you decided it was fun to throw crackers onto the road.
You need more education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You are like irritating insects</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Just like
the drone of a fly or the bite of a mosquito, you are the sound that irritates
this city. Just because you have the money to buy a truckload of crackers does
not mean you are entitled to burst them till one in the night. You violate the
basic right of peace when you decide you haven’t had enough fun and continue
burning all the excess money that you have in a spectacular display of
fireworks. You need to see a counsellor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You make
the police brutal</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You
complain about the police chasing you away from the roadside and tea shops at
night. You think that they are being too brutal and that if they did their job
right, you wouldn’t have to suffer for it. But, what you don’t realize, you
little dung beetle, is that the police would rather have you off the streets
than have to clean up after your racing matches, your loud music, your vulgar
behaviour and your drunken brawls. You are not fit to be left unattended on the
roads of this city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">You are
a disgrace to Gujarati society</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Gujarati
society claims to be one of the warmest in the country, one that welcomes other
cultures with open arms and invites them to live peacefully within it. You
however, are the boil on the city that is the face of Gujarati culture. You
fill Ahmedabad with pus and disfigure it with your hideous ideas of
selfishness, uncaring attitude, and blatant disregard for your fellow human
beings. It is because of you that the whole country believes that the people of
this city just want to make money and show it off without displaying any signs
of respect for education, humanity, communal harmony, equality or
intellectualism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You spoil
the image of the entirety of the city’s youth. You deserve nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-70382499554213415542016-02-06T19:25:00.003+05:302016-02-06T19:41:55.688+05:30Atithi Devo Bhava? Indian Intolerance is at 100% & Rising…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
India has
always denied claims of being racist and Indians absolutely hate the guts of
those who dare to call us racist. The one argument – that we are a
multi-cultural nation – is the defence used to thwart any racism related
allegation upon our spotless robe tolerance and brotherhood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A Tanzanian
student was stripped and made to parade around the roads of Bengaluru, the
place we proudly call the ‘Silicon Valley’ of India, because a Sudanese man ran
over an Indian woman at that spot. She was harassed, beaten; her car set on
fire and received no help from the police – all because she was from the same
continent as the person who committed a crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Political
leaders then even had the ever-present audacity to claim this was not a racist
attack when African embassies came out in outrage of the horrific incident.
Although Sushma Swaraj did condemn the incident, the damage is done and there
is no guarantee that it will not happen again. This is not even an isolated
incident. Media reports suggest that hate crimes are taking place all over the
country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What is
even more appalling and shameful is that the 'Invest Karnataka 2016-Global
Investors Meet’ took place in the same city just three days later where N R
Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys, made a statement at that forum which needs
mention here because he said, “My request to the state chief minister
(Siddaramaiah) and industries minister (R V Deshpande) is to help us make Bengaluru </span><span lang="EN-US">more liveable for all, especially
youngsters, by improving its infrastructure and quality of life.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_O9-A1Jv1AOupQGtcldlG8rAfiKG4droL6_OfMgthG_97Nd9gCGz8wBlxyUW_L4n1TvZBTcH1HzIshAEdyDXq4qNA9MYpB7PVHrYFqgbovX7CRRKQwof3upPdl1p_0DT0TkGAsLgGQiD/s1600/Tanzanian+student+%2528www.deccanchronicle.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_O9-A1Jv1AOupQGtcldlG8rAfiKG4droL6_OfMgthG_97Nd9gCGz8wBlxyUW_L4n1TvZBTcH1HzIshAEdyDXq4qNA9MYpB7PVHrYFqgbovX7CRRKQwof3upPdl1p_0DT0TkGAsLgGQiD/s200/Tanzanian+student+%2528www.deccanchronicle.com%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While the
world is moving forward, leaving behind discriminations of caste, creed and
colour; our country seems to be regressing into the dark ages of witch hunts,
lynching, racial profiling and mob justice. And if this has happened in one of
the major cities of the nation, it is shuddering to think of what happens in
other areas.<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the
post, <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2014/07/the-wrong-colour-of-skin.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The Wrong Colour of Skin</span></a> – I wrote of how hypocritical we Indians are of
our skin colour, about how we blame foreigners for racism and how our brand of
racism is much, much worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-22357483109866709142016-02-01T07:45:00.000+05:302016-02-01T07:45:55.592+05:30Stuck in Smoke: The Fear of Police Brutality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a journalist, coming home late is so
normal that no time is late anymore per se but by normal standards, yes it was.
And by late, I mean almost midnight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This was a good day and since I did come
back fast, I hadn’t had anything to eat. So I went to get a vada pav, which in
case you’re wondering is a fried potato patty stuffed inside a bun and heated
on a pan, sometimes with cheese.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">The
Incident</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I just wanted to get the vada pav and get back
home but no, events have to conspire on the one day I get home fast and that’s
what happened here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I got to the shop, ordered my cheese vada pav
and then started reading the menu because there really isn’t much you can do
while you wait. By the time I read half of it, my order was done and as I
reached over the counter to take the parcel, I heard the shutters come down. Turning
around, I saw one of the workers signalling all of us customers to be quiet and
loudly whisper – <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2013/07/do-we-need-superheroes.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">POLICE</span></a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I saw the time and sure enough, it was
12:00 am. The police had obviously come to shut down everything and we had been
unlucky to be inside the place at that time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It was then that it began. One of the dozen
or so customers asked if the <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2014/02/in-defence-of-cops.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">police</span></a> would beat us if they found us. I thought
he must be joking but turning around I saw that he and his friends were
earnestly discussing this possibility which amused and worried me at the same
time. Then the employees shut the lights off and the murmurs grew louder.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It amused me because I believe that the
police could not beat us up for being there but I was apprehensive because I
didn’t know for sure what the police would do. ‘Could’ and ‘would’ – the difference
between knowing how things ideally work and not knowing how things will
actually take place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZsDk4qHMMSjCE8IzhGaZ-QS2Ud1iJqC5Yv7bFVt106h7jvvJGOicYPoBgKBcY5ocIfIGCH2Nmt8Wr7UukWjbbIfzTzlcwS5MlY4fET__kL9_R0LhLsZnLba28DvOZyyX6SlLbB0C-Qli/s1600/Police+Brutality+%2528schmidtgs2.wikispaces.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZsDk4qHMMSjCE8IzhGaZ-QS2Ud1iJqC5Yv7bFVt106h7jvvJGOicYPoBgKBcY5ocIfIGCH2Nmt8Wr7UukWjbbIfzTzlcwS5MlY4fET__kL9_R0LhLsZnLba28DvOZyyX6SlLbB0C-Qli/s1600/Police+Brutality+%2528schmidtgs2.wikispaces.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: schmidtgs2.wikispaces.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">After ten minutes or so of this conversation,
an employee got an all-clear phone call from the other side of the shutter and
he opened it just a little and let us out in pairs. It reminded me of a couple
of movies where people are trying to cross international borders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">And
I thought to myself,</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Are things really so bad?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Why is there fear even on a normal day in
a busy part of the city?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Are these people right in mistrusting the
police?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Do we need to fear the very people in
charge of protecting us?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Is this paranoia or years of ingrained
reality?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">And
the most important thought,</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">“Is this the fear of one person creeping into all
in a distressing environment or is this a mutual repressed feeling being triggered
by a mere mention of atrocity?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">The
Implications<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The latter thought is scarier than the
former and if true, needs to be addressed by the Ahmedabad City Police at the
earliest because if the people don’t trust their protectors, who are they going
to put their faith into?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">The
Next Step</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I hope this post reaches the police
department because I figure they should be concerned even if this is an
isolated incident, which isn’t very likely.</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-53647017656223185162016-01-23T08:37:00.000+05:302016-01-23T08:37:25.046+05:30When Parents FAIL their Children all over again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some parents I’ve noticed have this
annoying habit. A habit they do not realize does more harm than good; a habit
that discourages instead of bringing improvement; a habit that affects the
psyche instead of the outlook; a habit that is akin to kicking someone who has
fallen, laughing in their face, and then telling them how much you love them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is the habit of parents showing the
whole world what spectacular and utter failures their children are by putting
their shortfalls on full display before all to see and then inviting some more
people to come and have a good laugh that’ll brighten up their day. This will
then probably lead to an innocent either jumping from the terrace or hanging
from the fan if they’re not strong enough to take the insult or smart enough to
understand its purpose.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Let’s face it, there are such parents. And what’s
worse, they are more in number than those parents who like to show the world
that their children are the best in the whole wide world. Admittedly, that isn’t
any good either, extremes rarely are, but at least it is talked about and
ridiculed. However, the other end of the spectrum? It isn’t talked about in the
way the adulation is spoken of. It is hardly ever criticized in society that
is.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhSb2AGt24njWi6bJnhmjVA6bfjcNCbmjtfHEpXfpoSEQOY9wDvX3OO8aBlLkM5sW2AD6dTfQDxiUjUobGDJly7kQdwdZq817EVvCPVxq4mGzOFEw_F1mP_OusPBeXOoRvvLFxeWwcff3/s1600/Scared+child+%2528theodysseyonline.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYhSb2AGt24njWi6bJnhmjVA6bfjcNCbmjtfHEpXfpoSEQOY9wDvX3OO8aBlLkM5sW2AD6dTfQDxiUjUobGDJly7kQdwdZq817EVvCPVxq4mGzOFEw_F1mP_OusPBeXOoRvvLFxeWwcff3/s320/Scared+child+%2528theodysseyonline.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: theodysseyonline.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB">There is rarely one who is strong enough to
stand up to the parents and ask them to stop the rigmarole because at that
moment, the child is the one who has let the parents down, who has tarnished
the family name, who has failed in class, who has lost the competition, who has
bunked a class, ho didn’t get into a good college, who didn’t get that gold
medal, who didn’t care about what parents wanted. The child is to blame fair
and square.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">But one would think that parents, before
using this innovative method of insulting their children before family and
friends, would stop for a moment and think about what this would achieve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does ridicule raise confidence?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does insult dull the injury of failure?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does shame induce self-confidence?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does derision ensure better performance?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does humiliation beget better results?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Does indignity tend to inspire?</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">These are the questions that these parents
need to ask themselves before going out into that party and shaming their
children before others because you never know how someone will react to such
shaming.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Your children might not understand that you
do it out of love or desperation or some other sort of correctional method. In that
moment, they just know pain all over again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">For
some, it is too late. For others, it is not.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Please
find a better way.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">I’ve been meaning to write about this topic
for quite some time now and a friend fortunately brought it up on Facebook
recently. She saw this happening on an Indian soap opera and spoke out against
it which led me to ultimately writing this piece. If you do think the problem
is real, share this post with either the student who is suffering from this, or
with the parent who thinks ridicule only makes things better.</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-67600158006763752202016-01-16T07:46:00.003+05:302016-01-16T07:52:10.691+05:30Kim Jong-un's Six news ways to kill Traitors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pyongyang: After having his Defence chief executed for treason because he dozed off in a
high profile meeting titled ‘Dealing with Traitors’, eternal leader and
Dictator par excellence Kim Jong-un sent a memo to the Pointless Killings
Committee elaborating on six innovative ways to execute future sleeping
beauties.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sources
deep inside the North Korean government indicate that Kim formulated this memo
on the way to the classified nuclear missile silo where he was scheduled to
oversee the execution of the chief scientist for making missiles with rounded
heads. These pointers are meant to be taken as an express command of the
benevolent leader and are to be inducted into the formal execution methods for
all time (and beyond it).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Here is a
copy of the memo that an anonymous source sent out to Faking News before
mysteriously disappearing two days back. The document contains illustrative
photographs to help the committee better grasp what the leader has in mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_2SxD6gyyaQv7fHAJ8gqe9QQmyBhMlOU8oJY8TpB19BIPeZ_XyRZlOLxLy8U9lmyOq_uNwRx3L6gqCv2PDxlzkOwGQZNn11pYDIyGh09FLX0UmZBQ40_wSVh1-QOARf_aWAeA3vBCD_w/s1600/Kim-Jong-un-012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_2SxD6gyyaQv7fHAJ8gqe9QQmyBhMlOU8oJY8TpB19BIPeZ_XyRZlOLxLy8U9lmyOq_uNwRx3L6gqCv2PDxlzkOwGQZNn11pYDIyGh09FLX0UmZBQ40_wSVh1-QOARf_aWAeA3vBCD_w/s200/Kim-Jong-un-012.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This dude!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Top Secret Document<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Six New ways to <s>annilate</s> <s>anihilatte</s>
destroy Traitors<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#1 Running them over with Monster
Trucks</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Two monster trucks gifted to me, your leader,
your God, your everything, by my best friend Putin will be used to run traitors
over in the garden of my palace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: <s>Slaves</s> bonded labourers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJD0P7EshX1_KSS3SM-DQ7gwsI-9-T1lk4y3QvzQv5OOJaNFi45SBkwGYqpMEF54Rp-4Ky7QZihggOYYO_MC6bAPW2t83YnR8EHk535fXsSPsbANp-cRVCwb59Q7PaHlcC4n7zLg0bih-/s1600/executioner24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJD0P7EshX1_KSS3SM-DQ7gwsI-9-T1lk4y3QvzQv5OOJaNFi45SBkwGYqpMEF54Rp-4Ky7QZihggOYYO_MC6bAPW2t83YnR8EHk535fXsSPsbANp-cRVCwb59Q7PaHlcC4n7zLg0bih-/s320/executioner24.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#2 Tying them to Test Missiles<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Any traitor who happens to be convicted on
the day of a test launch of our missiles shall be tied naked to the missile and
then launched. Sex appeal will get more attention from the world press. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: All military personnel, my family members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ7QOv00hiZ74o-SQ-XgnWXtTtwE8UORIBWmUJ2hHQVaMwC5OY6MY_rSL6mradOQT120VF1GVOZUtKFK_nzXjry0BsGcctuvnmQ0sIKUVSE2T-Yd8ve4An6PqNVXJCObrLPfnhrGfxf38/s1600/DRUS04-28-10-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZ7QOv00hiZ74o-SQ-XgnWXtTtwE8UORIBWmUJ2hHQVaMwC5OY6MY_rSL6mradOQT120VF1GVOZUtKFK_nzXjry0BsGcctuvnmQ0sIKUVSE2T-Yd8ve4An6PqNVXJCObrLPfnhrGfxf38/s320/DRUS04-28-10-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#3 Air-dropping them over South Korea<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Traitors attempting to cross over to the <s>prosperous</s>
hated nation south of our borders shall be air dropped without parachutes in
their territory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Civilians looking for a better life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFFA5F1GxjvqjLBXbPD6dzevYd11bHI1wNeHNDmCdj5PFNeNYR5daz2rL5t_2iEaGna67Wxq4ZULlH1zzTPohZ7zu1i4Lbcche7WyUyRr9W7qtFlfYk3fvBo-SFwyUqZF2DEopUJ1TSUy/s1600/6063060-3x2-940x627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFFA5F1GxjvqjLBXbPD6dzevYd11bHI1wNeHNDmCdj5PFNeNYR5daz2rL5t_2iEaGna67Wxq4ZULlH1zzTPohZ7zu1i4Lbcche7WyUyRr9W7qtFlfYk3fvBo-SFwyUqZF2DEopUJ1TSUy/s320/6063060-3x2-940x627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#4 Making them eat Radioactive
Vegetables</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Defectors working in sensitive national
security fields shall be made to eat vegetables stored in uranium 238
contaminated storage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Scientists,
researchers, historians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfu18kDadK0xNRQvBabjHmhtV2zMwzr2KL8AzdvfF4Ni7Cp8kem_R1A4NvAII20FHZ9-8CXgmB6YPENgwGJeoE3tzcrqiHOFYK3za17FedSQCXZ2XxuWUpyIFwZ2RKP5PJ7W03HzL9PW/s1600/fukutomato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfu18kDadK0xNRQvBabjHmhtV2zMwzr2KL8AzdvfF4Ni7Cp8kem_R1A4NvAII20FHZ9-8CXgmB6YPENgwGJeoE3tzcrqiHOFYK3za17FedSQCXZ2XxuWUpyIFwZ2RKP5PJ7W03HzL9PW/s320/fukutomato.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#5 Feeding them to the Sharks<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Enemy citizens captured within and beyond the
boundaries of our glorious nation shall be sent to sleep with the fishes. I
have waited to use this line from a long, very long time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Spies, prisoners of war.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqbuUAV_ogGf_eaGiV9MAgTAWxpc1g9TR0QDrtxGZDsk7HZlpcp60_Wz2BdV0sSaqL2kXaYwoQb0prVa-KIE8gnL0i3pn_FEnUkFkhUWLwOSkm5p2KtEFMaOoJva1NxXIlaEVyMuJqeph/s1600/cartoon-shark-vector-4fb6108c5c6593ff0686cd76d8db81c45ae541b7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqbuUAV_ogGf_eaGiV9MAgTAWxpc1g9TR0QDrtxGZDsk7HZlpcp60_Wz2BdV0sSaqL2kXaYwoQb0prVa-KIE8gnL0i3pn_FEnUkFkhUWLwOSkm5p2KtEFMaOoJva1NxXIlaEVyMuJqeph/s320/cartoon-shark-vector-4fb6108c5c6593ff0686cd76d8db81c45ae541b7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">#6 Injecting them with the Ebola virus</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">Technique</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Old people and the sick are of no use to the
economy (thus becoming traitors) and must be disposed off. However, this must
be done with compassion. To give them a natural death, they must be injected
with the Ebola virus which our outsourcing partner Boko Haram has sent us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-GB">Priority status</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: Old, sick, unemployed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgV3WVgAAHerJqLZLkFXZGhc5iH7YGpsl8mnRjCkC6nkxSkjy6Bu3frRHFTssJMvOds1UZBVbYnXk_Pva7B3RpYxkzIEGtBFyr3dW1kxigyaGGIMdGX2V0pO7Z83Y06LAwYQ1D2Rjg6e5/s1600/ebola_virus_vaccine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgV3WVgAAHerJqLZLkFXZGhc5iH7YGpsl8mnRjCkC6nkxSkjy6Bu3frRHFTssJMvOds1UZBVbYnXk_Pva7B3RpYxkzIEGtBFyr3dW1kxigyaGGIMdGX2V0pO7Z83Y06LAwYQ1D2Rjg6e5/s320/ebola_virus_vaccine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Note: This is a Faking News report that I did some time back for MyFaking News. It is to be taken with the humour with which it was written.</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-60423055231126927822016-01-09T09:16:00.000+05:302016-01-09T09:16:05.189+05:30Maybe George Orwell was Wrong about Journalism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s
this quote going around that people credit to the author of works such as
‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’. It goes something like this…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8u1FTH8OeN7YvXbYXERiBPYFwwdB01LfKP_iK5JbW38HiMw1jurHML4pVY0ith9SogM2fgevsGJR4VEITFmF_v0jDdhrr_FqNcnJ0XZoVJoKDhe9LAtnRtBb7uPcPn-JxsMu8VyEDlnk/s1600/George+Orwell+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8u1FTH8OeN7YvXbYXERiBPYFwwdB01LfKP_iK5JbW38HiMw1jurHML4pVY0ith9SogM2fgevsGJR4VEITFmF_v0jDdhrr_FqNcnJ0XZoVJoKDhe9LAtnRtBb7uPcPn-JxsMu8VyEDlnk/s320/George+Orwell+quote.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, this quote.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now, let me
confess something right at the beginning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I don’t
really know if he said it or if it means something else altogether or if he
meant it as a very complex metaphor to say something that I haven’t understood,
but from what I gather from its literal meaning is that journalism is about
letting people know about things that other don’t want them to know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now maybe
he might not have used this quote to convey an absolute definition of
journalism but seen and understood on its own, without a point of reference, it
does seem like a very confined view of the field to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Saying that
journalism is printing what others don’t want printed defines only one aspect
of the many possibilities journalism holds. Information, knowledge, awareness,
peacekeeping, gate keeping and even revolution are some of the various aspects
of what one might call journalism per se.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Printing
only what others don’t want printed seems to then be <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2013/12/optimism-lost.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">a very stunted view</span></a> which
implies that only the bad side of human nature is what journalism should strive
to portray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But
journalism, as far as I understand it, stands as a mirror before society,
showing it its true face, pretty or ugly, sane or insane, free or enslaved. But
always what society really looks like, not only what-must-not-be-said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LwKOT8tJPSU-2v8gFQDHcoiUIUW1F3tAZZlVTpMZMmA66djXzhz6Lwn4d5ZOJuv4KFkuRLEcgzx77uQrdcdhq0eRFw6qFkKJfIEVCiuWzaNWEHM4K95Y4E2YFp_ml0nb93JCnQ3tgssd/s1600/Harvey+Dent+%2528genius.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-LwKOT8tJPSU-2v8gFQDHcoiUIUW1F3tAZZlVTpMZMmA66djXzhz6Lwn4d5ZOJuv4KFkuRLEcgzx77uQrdcdhq0eRFw6qFkKJfIEVCiuWzaNWEHM4K95Y4E2YFp_ml0nb93JCnQ3tgssd/s320/Harvey+Dent+%2528genius.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: genius.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Some might
today claim that the media has become biased, that it does show only what it
wants to, that it all depends on the interest of those who <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2014/06/buying-out-fourth-estate.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">control the media</span></a>.
Others claim that ‘breaking news’ is all what the media is about today. And
still others believe that the amount of bad news being printed and broadcast is
more than the good that is happening in society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Does that
mean this quote holds true?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Not
necessarily. One has to look beyond the bad to search for the good. It does
happen all around us and it is reported. Maybe it’s just that we are so attuned
to the bad that we cannot find enough good to make it count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As someone
actually working in this industry, I know how hard journalists toil to search
for a good story amongst the murders and suicides of everyday life. These stories
then appear in print and are broadcast, but are we open enough to give the good news enough credit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Are we ready
to admit that George Orwell might, just might, be wrong?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Are we?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-57743601405935722102016-01-02T08:56:00.004+05:302016-01-26T16:53:42.166+05:30The Year is New, but are Your Priorities?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone’s
excited about the new year that began on January 1<sup>st</sup>. Excited
about a new beginning, a new resolution, a new twist to lie, a promise to
oneself, new changes, new attitudes, new, new, new…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But is that
really the case?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Do we
really look forward to a new year or look back and enjoy the memories of
milestones past. Are we just content to look back and not bother much about
what lies ahead?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnrVGgbfZ4TGSA3uMYP9Oj8ACxzwwRH5TsuXQmdejCjXcEffOOu70zpp4-I9FI1C8Lbf4x2Y2l2sfN_Gv396r4jkllGJnhJj-i2SgdQyUSvpNDsi_TC6UyAMIy-CwLh9rql7xjggS80Vo/s1600/Mission++accomplished+2+%2528www.discussionist.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnrVGgbfZ4TGSA3uMYP9Oj8ACxzwwRH5TsuXQmdejCjXcEffOOu70zpp4-I9FI1C8Lbf4x2Y2l2sfN_Gv396r4jkllGJnhJj-i2SgdQyUSvpNDsi_TC6UyAMIy-CwLh9rql7xjggS80Vo/s320/Mission++accomplished+2+%2528www.discussionist.com%2529.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: discussionist.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If yes,
then why rejoice for all the things accomplished at the end of this calendar
year? Why not think of what didn’t happen this year? Why not think of what more
could have been done this year? Why not reflect upon things that still require
attention?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Some examples if you please.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Everyone in
India went gaga over the fact that the country now has <span style="color: yellow;">1 billion</span> telecom users.
Yay! The country is now connected, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But what
about the fact that India’s population is <span style="color: yellow;">1.2 billio</span>n, which leaves about <span style="color: yellow;">0.2
billion</span> people still without a phone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And what
about the fact that there are <span style="color: yellow;">4 billion</span> people in the world still not connected
to the internet according to CNN Money? That’s four times the people who just
use telecom services in India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">How about
the <span style="color: yellow;">1.6 billion</span> people in the world who have no sort of electricity at all if
the World Bank is to be believed? How come these people don’t have a light in
their homes this new year while we celebrate?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But the
best and most apt comparison is that the United Nations claims there are <span style="color: yellow;">1
billion</span> people in the world who defecate in the open even today. Well, how
about that? What about them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If you need
to think, think of what is still left to do instead of lying back and basking
in the glory of things already achieved. These are the things that need to be
done this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Make a
promise to help in whatever little way you can, for every small measure helps
in making this world in the words of the immortal Michael Jackson:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: yellow;">A better
place for you and for me and the entire human race…</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-17639875963514687892015-12-27T07:12:00.000+05:302015-12-27T07:12:42.955+05:30Santa Claus: The Salesman with Claws<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having
emerged from the Christmas season, which is not yet over, a not-so changed man,
I wonder how many actually did bring about a change in their lives in this
year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Well
Christmas is indeed a time of cheer and goodwill among men but it is also the
international standard for sales targets, advertising budget overruns,
depleting savings and burning through piles of hard earned cash – all in the
name of the Lord.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2gnhUTueaPIXPVClthaMoLh6NVz9AR5jOXpfc3SRD1c-V7BU6xnM0WM9DYMFLvObqDzL7ZcwyqjRtECvfIZuBOGfKPLhvg1Pznlt02ZuVAyiPbNaAYwg-LVv5plheHd16NwZB1wzLSef/s1600/Joker+burning+money+%2528batman.wikia.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2gnhUTueaPIXPVClthaMoLh6NVz9AR5jOXpfc3SRD1c-V7BU6xnM0WM9DYMFLvObqDzL7ZcwyqjRtECvfIZuBOGfKPLhvg1Pznlt02ZuVAyiPbNaAYwg-LVv5plheHd16NwZB1wzLSef/s320/Joker+burning+money+%2528batman.wikia.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: batman.wikia.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Well,
that’s at least what I’ve heard some of the clergy say this year what with the
birthday boy, Jesus himself, disappearing out of the whole Christmas picture
with every passing year. To put it into perspective, there seems to be a
feeling that Jesus didn’t get invited to his own birthday party because
somebody brought the cake, another brought the drinks, a third brought the food
and the fourth brought the dessert and there was nobody left to inform the guy
for whom they actually threw the party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sounds
weird?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Some seem
to be concerned that the commercialization of festivals has led Santa Claus to
become an even bigger idol that Jesus today. And that should worry the leaders
off the church if it doesn’t already. One has to admit, it is great for the
propagation of religion but the essence as such keeps losing significance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">To kids
today, Christmas seems to mean nothing other than the fact that their parents
getting them gifts, for teenagers it’s all about the parties, for young adults
it’s a day off of work and the others, some time to spend with the family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This
obviously doesn’t hold true for everyone but observation has led me to believe
that the importance of Christmas has dwindled down to just the poster boy of a
soft drinks company and means nothing more than just another holiday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5HCYKbXlzlC2YyfjB8XkAe8hQ6MVRapsxq1f9bkDFvPp4klvLAPYNgyeDaEq-e0ZZI5GE1a6756ke_nTLCcoKAP2pITPNH8Q76TY3GQ93buqYNCJ_pk3yNLngzkvitgkT16FEY-Jie08/s1600/Commercial+Santa+%2528www.youthareawesome.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5HCYKbXlzlC2YyfjB8XkAe8hQ6MVRapsxq1f9bkDFvPp4klvLAPYNgyeDaEq-e0ZZI5GE1a6756ke_nTLCcoKAP2pITPNH8Q76TY3GQ93buqYNCJ_pk3yNLngzkvitgkT16FEY-Jie08/s1600/Commercial+Santa+%2528www.youthareawesome.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: www.youthareawesome.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It is just
like what happens to other festivals celebrated here in India that I’ve written
about in this post on <b><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2013/10/volkswagon-durga.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Durga puja</span></a></b>. But well, something needs to be done to
drive sales and what better way than appealing to peoples sentiments that inadvertently
force them to show their love towards their family by having them make money
for companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the
memorable words of Lord Cutler Bekett from Pirates of the Caribbean:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><span style="color: yellow;">It’s just good business…</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVpMljZZ0J1gvoxgQWWzFYvAw9vmapq_bqqvegwu7A1mFpUoEnIeRXgFmnSrdxokq98zhnml4-mQ8aWnWy7k-u5mlhlWmkuzVZ9tokG9nsmHxyBnaUO-Qss9i4gSlTbw7UKhSRh9unRh7/s1600/Its+just+good+business+%2528www.reddit.com%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVpMljZZ0J1gvoxgQWWzFYvAw9vmapq_bqqvegwu7A1mFpUoEnIeRXgFmnSrdxokq98zhnml4-mQ8aWnWy7k-u5mlhlWmkuzVZ9tokG9nsmHxyBnaUO-Qss9i4gSlTbw7UKhSRh9unRh7/s320/Its+just+good+business+%2528www.reddit.com%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: www.reddit.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>A very
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Note: This
post is not meant to be disrespectful to any religion, people or God/s. It is
just my personal opinion on what I've observed in my vicinity. Any connection
to people (living or dead) or Companies (and franchises) or Gods (and
Goddesses) is merely coincidental and is not deliberately meant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-15292019460789669812015-12-22T07:03:00.000+05:302015-12-22T07:03:19.691+05:30Can Meritocracy survive in the face of Corporate Seniority?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is
usually a lot of chatter at different workplaces about quality of work,
standards of employees, dishing out of credit and progress of the deserving and
the unworthy alike.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now, it may
occasionally happen that a young employee with formidable talent and skill and
may come along, one whose talent may overshadow even those with many years of
experience under their belts. These suave and confident beings may or may not realize
their potential but in a highly competitive workplace, contemporaries, if not
superiors, are sure to take notice sooner rather than later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With enough
time spent and hard work put in, these young ones may tend to catch the eye of
the boss if they’re looking enough attention. Well, that is a prerequisite for
bosses nowadays when even CEO's are out hunting for jobs. The constant need to improve
on the workplace and generate better profits for the company keeps even the laziest
of bosses on the lookout for those who have the ability to grasp things and
climb the proverbial ladder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is
where the problem occurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXISVkFlqSpiKsyCETbZ9ynBrN-HU_SvZUCu0HuHAkLwpfV7YZYJLXOpaRe7NsSSfzMISPiSnNGiI48HhLz_rqq9K0Kdk0zBran-CgoRWfDljwk_lt697gC6W6cEiukJyHimVftoux8bB/s1600/corporate-ladder+%2528www.moneycrashers.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXISVkFlqSpiKsyCETbZ9ynBrN-HU_SvZUCu0HuHAkLwpfV7YZYJLXOpaRe7NsSSfzMISPiSnNGiI48HhLz_rqq9K0Kdk0zBran-CgoRWfDljwk_lt697gC6W6cEiukJyHimVftoux8bB/s320/corporate-ladder+%2528www.moneycrashers.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: moneycrashers.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Should the boss promote the underling and
bypass the senior?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Or should the boss risk wasting potential to
preserve peace in the workplace?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Not all
bosses have the kind of rapport with employees so as to understand the dynamics
and offices politics playing out under their own noses. In their rise, they
leave behind common ploys and play the same game at a higher level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But only
those working together actually realize how team dynamics work under the
complex hierarchy that modern industry is based on. They know who works well
with whom, who works better than whom, who cannot work with whom and who cannot
be trusted to work at all. And they often know all this more than the bosses themselves
who have glass cabins shielding them from the best and worst their employees
have to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So, does
meritocracy really survive if the hierarchy is put in danger?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Does the
workplace dynamic take a hit in light of a jump in promotion?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Does merit
even stand a chance in the face of superiors taking credit for everything?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Or is the
cumbersome method of seniority the only way to ensure smooth functioning?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Food for
thought, dear leaders…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-86597880168169510322015-08-15T11:37:00.001+05:302015-08-15T11:39:25.713+05:30With Great Power comes Great Responsibility: India & the UNSC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been 69 years since India became an
Independent nation. The leaders that formed the government then thought that
the time was right for India to govern itself. The government today believes
that India is ready to be part of a committee that aims to keep the world
secure, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). To this end, they have been
looking for support from every quarter with the constant spate of <b><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2015/05/5-ways-modi-is-helping-india-with-his.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">foreign visits</span></a> </b>Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made to several nations
since his government came to power in 2014.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">They feel the time is right for India to
take its rightful place, seeing as it considers itself a leader in Asia. It is
looked upon by various South Asian nations as a big brother, an insurance
policy of some kind, against the threat that an aggressive China poses in the
region.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA58FK6HWrl0819g9xTALVZAaDSKzKXcXVDDG3h09JtvlHqvi4niEg0Fa9nGeLldiTOHunSDQe5fjOZwdXXTqRpHWy6IciuUpERb2-drRNQ2DUkXZbK88VebllzGVZu0DgU7UACjZnW7xh/s1600/United-Nation-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA58FK6HWrl0819g9xTALVZAaDSKzKXcXVDDG3h09JtvlHqvi4niEg0Fa9nGeLldiTOHunSDQe5fjOZwdXXTqRpHWy6IciuUpERb2-drRNQ2DUkXZbK88VebllzGVZu0DgU7UACjZnW7xh/s320/United-Nation-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">For
& Against India’s seat</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But India has apparently failed in
impressing contemporary world leaders who have opposed India’s most recent bid
to restructure the UNSC like its reluctant friend US President Barrack Obama
and its long-time ally Russian President <b><a href="http://my.fakingnews.firstpost.com/2015/05/11/russias-new-tanks-dont-work-will-sell-them-to-india-putin/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Vladimir Putin</span></a></b>. The third
nation, China, in spite making tall claims of friendship during President Xi
Jinping’s diplomatic visit, is still a regional rival along with another
claimant to a permanent seat, Japan. However, the other two permanent members,
France, under President Francois Hollande and the <b><a href="http://my.fakingnews.firstpost.com/2015/06/08/prince-charles-accepts-romanian-throne-tired-of-waiting-for-the-british-one/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">United Kingdom</span></a></b>, under
Prime Minister David Cameron, support India’s bid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Other
Contenders</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Along with India, the other G-4 nations,
comprising of Germany, Japan, and Brazil have all longed for a permanent seat
in the UNSC. Germany, because of its GDP, which is the fourth largest in the
world, Japan, because of its regional (albeit muted) power status in Asia, and
Brazil, by virtue of being the only regional power in South America.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Shortcomings</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Although India is slated to be the most
populous country in the world by 2022, although its economy is great as an
emerging market, although it has a stable democratic structure and although it
is a responsible nuclear state, India hasn’t exactly been doing what one would
expect members of a ‘security council’ to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>India hasn’t
sent help to the coalition fighting terrorist groups outside its borders</li>
<li>India is not
involved in helping bring back a democratic government in Yemen</li>
<li>India didn’t
until very recently stand up for or attempt to mediate the conflict brewing in
the South China Sea.</li>
<li>India hasn’t
spoken up on human rights issues in the Israel-Palestine conflict.</li>
<li>India stood
passively by in the Iran nuclear deal.</li>
<li>India hasn’t
done anything for the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">When you take a look at all these conflicts
that India has deliberately avoided, stayed out of, skirted or just verbally
condemned, it is hard to imagine that this country is a regional power which
will do anything at all, even if it does get a permanent seat at the UNSC.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Favourable
Statistic</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">However, there is one thing that certainly
goes in India’s favour and that is the number of personnel it has sent to the <b><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2015/05/keeping-peace-un-peacekeeping-force.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">United Nations Peacekeeping Force</span></a></b>. India has sent 8,112 people and is third in
terms of this contribution, Bangladesh and Pakistan holding the first and
second positions respectively. The permanent members come nowhere close to
matching these numbers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Unfortunate
Reality</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HI; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">However, merely these numbers cannot hide
the fact that India has in fact chosen neutrality and made the decision to stay
aloof from world conflicts even in this age of co-operation. Although India now
contests that it just needs a two-third majority in the UN General Assembly to
get a seat, the problem is that India might fall short on its claim to be able
to handle that much power without taking on responsibility.</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-81148478063417388492015-08-10T09:04:00.000+05:302015-08-10T09:04:03.093+05:30Owning up to the Real Issues at Hand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
We see and are a part of a number of things
that are wrong in society in daily life. We want to make them better, we want
to be better as a civilization and we strive towards that very common goal with
the rest of humanity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">But we sometimes lose sight of the bigger
picture either by quickly finding someone to blame or getting caught up in
unnecessary nuances that hide the real issue, which is then left to stagnate
and dealt with at a later date.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieL0H2qrRVrACYBJIV1IaEJrfy5nlmGBApnjIorrQHDaO2PHvZPbkmgQPOd1N4NlAm6COPEYBBL9DqYMVq2CpDLDVN9nBZKIYzZUihM7GxK9yD0PSJLN3v4uXZ69X0aGB3e2ZGL3KXAlgK/s1600/The+real+issue+%2528pinterest.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieL0H2qrRVrACYBJIV1IaEJrfy5nlmGBApnjIorrQHDaO2PHvZPbkmgQPOd1N4NlAm6COPEYBBL9DqYMVq2CpDLDVN9nBZKIYzZUihM7GxK9yD0PSJLN3v4uXZ69X0aGB3e2ZGL3KXAlgK/s1600/The+real+issue+%2528pinterest.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: pinterest.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are the issues that really need to be
dealt with, the crux of the matter, the questions we should really be asking. Divided
by categories, here are the real issues and their tangents we have been
obsessing over.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Crime<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Radhe
Maa in a skirt or Radhe Maa abetting suicide</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The self-styled ‘Godwoman’ known as Radha
Maacame into the news recently for her apparently racy photos in which she is
wearing a short skirt or a dress. Although the real issue of her involvement in
the death of a woman in a dowry case came to light, everyone was obsessed more
about her short skirt than her abetment of suicide. That says more than one
thing about the Indian mindset.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Defence<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Japan’s
new defence bill or Chinese aggression in South Asia</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Everyone, from pacifists, to students, to
academicians, to the common people are opposing a bill cleared by the lower
house of Japanese parliament that will allow their military to help their
allies fight threats. This means, Japanese forces will once again be able to
deploy beyond their shores. What is not being taken into consideration however,
is the Chinese aggression in the South China Sea that is taking a turn for the
worse and Japanese self-defence may be reliant on reciprocation of the same to
its allies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Social
Issue<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Politics
or Human Rights in the Israel-Palestine conflict</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Political deadlock between Israel and Palestine
seems to have become a permanent feature for that part of the world. With uncompromising
parties on both sides giving no room for a peaceful reconciliation, the
conflict seems in no hurry to end. However, human rights abuses, both by militant
groups as well as police forces seem to be sidelined in favour of sovereign territorial
disputes, settlements and violence on the streets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Culture
& Heritage<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Protecting
Monuments or Stopping Conflict</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Cultural heritage all over the world is in
constant danger of being enveloped into the conflicts that result in their
unnecessary destruction or the threat thereof. The destruction f the Bamiyan
Buddhas (Afghanistan), the looting of Iraqi national museum (Iraq), the allegations
of the Taj Mahal being a temple (India) and the threat to Palmyra’s ruins (Syria)
is very real and disheartening. Religious intolerance and conflict will
continue to exist till there is a shift in mindset or in vested interests, but
heritage will not come back once it is destroyed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Education<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">The
Porn Ban or the need for Sex Education</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Amidst the uproar on whether the Indian government
has any right to tell its citizens what to watch on the internet due to them
banning over 800 porn sites, the real point of sex education and its despondent
state in Indian education has been lost. The government has cited immorality as
its feeble excuse to try to get away with its regressive policy but all
everyone can be bothered with is the right to watch porn. What about the real
bad effects it has on children? The answer is lost in the echoes of morality,
decency and the freedom of the internet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Religion<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Fanaticism
or Blame Game</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Religious fanaticism exists in almost every
religion and even examples seem unnecessary in this case. How much ever one
tries to deny it, everyone knows that fringe elements exist in every religion,
the people who are either too naïve to figure out that they are pawns in a
bigger game and those who do so for their own vested interests. But popular concentration
seems to be on placing the blame not on these elements alone but on a broader
spectrum of people, most of whom abhor these elements and wish to see them
wiped out as much as any sensible human being.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: yellow;">Time
for a reality Check, maybe?</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Hence, to say then that we aren’t actually
facing up to the real threat wouldn’t be much of an overstatement. Time to see
things in a broader perspective, don’t you think?</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-3952098949709316812015-08-04T19:13:00.000+05:302015-08-04T19:13:12.194+05:30Porn Ban: An Alternate Solution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
The recent
impromptu porn <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2015/03/banned.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">ban</span></a> initiated by the Union government of India who has
advised ISPs to block more than 180 websites displaying explicit content has
resulted in a subtle yet massive backlash by the Indian populace, the majority
of which comprises of people under the age of 35.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Facebook,
Twitter and the Blogosphere is awash with sarcasm, incredulity and outrage
against the feeble excuse of those in power attempting to steer the nation away
from things ‘immoral in nature’ and not befitting their standards of culture.
Others in this list include <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2013/12/of-archaic-traditions-modern-culture.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">homosexuality</span></a>, <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2015/05/the-beef-in-pakistan-and-ministerial.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">beef</span></a> and even language
used in <a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2014/05/selective-censorship-in-india.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">cinema</span></a>. But there is also support from those who believe
pornography to be the reason why rapes, sexual harassment and molestation
plague this nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What is the
truth?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Damned if
anyone knows!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZcQZkgK5UYSLovILi0deX7VCqVjgfHOPwOehWpCntkg1O9I4nBhlAk5YFBmFXXA2BPl4Odu8v75cXUcUk-H_jvfYtI8D6ZKE6YjxBh-VGPhja3pnrsLqAsb1gNeI6egI9MOKemUTsk6b/s1600/Porn-Sites-Banned+%2528siasat.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZcQZkgK5UYSLovILi0deX7VCqVjgfHOPwOehWpCntkg1O9I4nBhlAk5YFBmFXXA2BPl4Odu8v75cXUcUk-H_jvfYtI8D6ZKE6YjxBh-VGPhja3pnrsLqAsb1gNeI6egI9MOKemUTsk6b/s320/Porn-Sites-Banned+%2528siasat.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: siasat.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Case FOR Porn</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">While some
call it a good measure, others believe that this ban will eventually lead to
more frustration among people and will result in even more incidences that the
government apparently wants to see a reduction in. Just like those who believe
that legalizing prostitution will help bring down illegal trade, human
trafficking and recognition for those who actually want to be in that
profession, they also believe that porn at least lessens the chance of sexual
frustration than what it could be in its absence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Case AGAINST Porn</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">There are
adverse effects of porn too like heightened expectations from the real act of
sex, the desire to try unrealistic things, act out dangerous scenes that border
on line between the legal and illegal, and children getting sexual education
from there in lieu of schools and colleges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Is there Another Way?</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Are these
reasons enough to ban porn entirely or can other measures be taken to counter
their side effects without trampling all over the freedom of the internet as is
done in regressive nations like China and North Korea?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Possible Solution</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One
possible remedy that comes to mind is to <b><span style="color: yellow;">introduce actual sex education in
Indian schools</span></b> to tutor teenagers and adults alike in the ways of sex ,safe
and unsafe, legal and illegal, realistic and unrealistic, what to expect and
what not to, and how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://brendanantondabhi.blogspot.in/2014/07/indian-morality-vs-sex-education.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sex Education</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US"> can go a
long way in preventing the misuse of porn and instead can better the knowledge
of what sex is, what it does and how to safely engage in it. Do you have a
better way?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-92027302161558985662015-08-01T18:16:00.000+05:302015-08-01T18:16:27.098+05:30Don’t Spit in your Boss’ Coffee Maybe?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Internships
are prerequisites for jobs in India today. Whether you attribute this trend to
increase in competitiveness or blame it on overpopulation, internships have
entrenched themselves as precursors to jobs in every field today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Medicine,
law, journalism, IT and in fact every private sector job opening requires the
completion of one or more internships before the offer of a job comes your way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I know this
because I interned at two national newspapers, two magazines, a regional
television news channel, a web news channel and a Public Relations agency
before landing my first job. That’s seven internships in five years of my
under-graduate and post-graduate studies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Of the
seven internships listed above, I had a disappointing experience at only one.
And this too was only because my potential wasn’t fully realized due to
mismanagement and faulty delegation of authority. This account may sound one
sided but it is diluted by the fact that I received recommendations by every
other place I went to. You see, that’s why I actually have a job as a
journalist today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Bad
experiences are part of internships but one has to learn not to overreact to
them in the spectacular way that this person has, whose note to his/her boss
speaks of unmitigated hatred and revenge for unrealized potential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hjHeoYXXItMaYyVD7FnewYPikKfZVmSMSACrbjyVp9x92q_cFmiv4hbIOms4EJlx39rEhSsH3mXUIC9e4A3XixBR-v8VTkvI5VlsmL8dqxHgj-DSWOQ1iPRH722hyphenhyphenEJem41uI__NGsPQ/s1600/Bad+internship+%2528scoopwhoop.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hjHeoYXXItMaYyVD7FnewYPikKfZVmSMSACrbjyVp9x92q_cFmiv4hbIOms4EJlx39rEhSsH3mXUIC9e4A3XixBR-v8VTkvI5VlsmL8dqxHgj-DSWOQ1iPRH722hyphenhyphenEJem41uI__NGsPQ/s320/Bad+internship+%2528scoopwhoop.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: youthconnect.in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Read about
why you shouldn’t overreact to your Boss and just suck it up or quit the
internship instead of making a mistake that jeopardizes your career in the
field. The entire opinion piece is here on the Youth Connect magazine: [<a href="http://www.youthconnect.in/2015/08/01/bearing-the-burden-of-a-bad-internship/" target="_blank"><span style="color: yellow;"><b>He reacted to his bad internship in the worst way possible. Here is why it is better to suck it up</b></span></a>]</div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-29615806046563313052015-07-27T19:22:00.000+05:302015-07-27T19:22:34.776+05:30Change that Channel: Putting on Blinders or Protecting your Children?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Growing up
in a household where Doordarshan was the only channel on television in classes
X, XI and XII, I know how hard it is to be relegated to a monotonous voice
saying something while you attempt to “make” something out of your life, “work
hard now to reap fruits later” and “study hard, college is all about fun”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Parents
regularly attempt to contain their children’s consumption of television content
by locking channels, unsubscribing to them, denying permission and deriding
their choices if they watch channels they think are unsuitable or “not good”
for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Putting on Blinders</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQkCmRUITBKLsoJbMAPCukd_uLM9b7rcwsBv8KelLDu307ZQMvjPCbHlvkH_jpQvJ7UYiaiuzyspqFIIDWi5Rrrct8BsBGFIMKgqvEJ6xMFS0_E1x7HAamS7CO3RrBgmuOg8VEznt36i7/s1600/Blinders+%2528goldenbuddhayoga.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQkCmRUITBKLsoJbMAPCukd_uLM9b7rcwsBv8KelLDu307ZQMvjPCbHlvkH_jpQvJ7UYiaiuzyspqFIIDWi5Rrrct8BsBGFIMKgqvEJ6xMFS0_E1x7HAamS7CO3RrBgmuOg8VEznt36i7/s1600/Blinders+%2528goldenbuddhayoga.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: goldenbuddhayoga.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, is it
not possible that the parents, by restricting access to content, are limiting
their children’s exposure to the wider range of experiences available to the
next generation? Are they not putting on blinders on their children? Are they
not letting them see a partial worldview by limiting the content that they
watch?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Apart from
the news, there are many such topics which have a variety of opinions and each
need to be viewed and heard to have a complete understanding of the same. By
restricting half of the content, a partial message is conveyed and ideas that
are developed then tend to move only in one direction. There is a certain lack
of objectivity, and in some cases, radically and disastrously so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Protection from Bad Influence</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWqS4x6LhYOT4MUGHSKnplOXykRPvToGTHoBcI-YyV19baAmHuExQvmeL7MmCpzUkRg-zA6OnKlMMwY4nhK1xtPLmvnih4UFlG6otU_CcWjFAD27lG1MJfhBDNOCmza0qXjMH-5xGTj_G/s1600/Advisory+%2528brainhulklogicsmash.blogspot.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWqS4x6LhYOT4MUGHSKnplOXykRPvToGTHoBcI-YyV19baAmHuExQvmeL7MmCpzUkRg-zA6OnKlMMwY4nhK1xtPLmvnih4UFlG6otU_CcWjFAD27lG1MJfhBDNOCmza0qXjMH-5xGTj_G/s1600/Advisory+%2528brainhulklogicsmash.blogspot.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: brainhulklogicsmash.blogspot.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is not
always that parents restrict content to their children based n their own
prejudices. It may also be so that they may actively attempt to curate
television content in a way that only the best things come across. But this is
also based own personal experiences and prejudice. Subjectivity would probably
hamper the development process; however, that does not in any way lessen the
importance of good intentions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However, it
must be noted that content on television is monitored and not a lot of content
is actually there to subvert young minds. But, a check definitely needs to be
kept. How? Now that is the real problem. Also, who can decide what is good and
bad? Isn’t that too subject to personal prejudices?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Million Dollar Question</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">How does one objectively curate content for
children in such a way that it protects them from supposed bad influences while
giving them an impartial worldview of all that television has to offer?</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Do you have
an answer or perhaps an opinion or observation you’d like to share? Well, let’s
hear it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-31042844738387388452015-07-24T19:56:00.001+05:302015-07-24T19:56:19.456+05:30Dad, I’m in a Live-in Relationship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
That
perhaps is one of the hardest letters to write to a conservative Indian parent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fears of
loss, hatred, marginalization and pain accompany the decision to call a parent
one knows is not going to accept their choice. Tremendous courage and hope for
understanding and failing that, reconciliation is the only thing that can help
mitigate the fear of telling this parent that one is staying with one’s partner
outside of marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Here is one
such letter from a hopeful son to his father.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US"> <b><span style="color: yellow;">Dad,<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">You
must be surprised that I wrote you a letter but believe me, in this case, it
was the only way I could sufficiently put down everything I want to tell you.
The telephone, the tone of voice, the emotion; it all is too much of a
distraction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">I’m
in love with a magnificent woman named Anna and we’re in a live-in
relationship. We have been so for a month now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">This
must come as a shock to you as I haven’t said anything about her or us till
now. But there is a reason for that. I don’t know if you’re angry or sad or
disappointed in me but I must still shamefully ask you to trust in me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">I
know that you and mom brought me up believing in the sacred bond of marriage
and you must feel that you could have done something more, especially after
this letter. Please don’t, it isn’t your fault, it is just my choice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">I
love her and she loves me and we have done so for over three years now but mom
only knows her as one of my friends. She turned out to be something much more
and I see her as my partner for the rest of my life. Perhaps we shall also
marry one day but that day isn’t today or tomorrow or at least in the next five
years</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US">.That
day might also never come.</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">It
isn’t the fault of education or this big city or bad influence that has led me
here, it is the realization of what is good for Anna and me and how we want to
live our lives, at least for the moment, without societal shackles till we are
absolutely sure than we can bear each other for a lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">I ask
not for forgiveness or acceptance, I ask only for your understanding of the
choice that I have made and am about to in the future. I need you to have my
back, Dad.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Your loving son,<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Fred</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGCv2eBHKeltKxPKJ2drcg_B21mzZbLCH-8fNLgyhpoRlxX29jjm96NNB8egKwVUEt6rknAoKQKKWuxyJOQgxE0JxMLwDqJb0df8JgVCaP9lVtGuxewLiqJCsWddrjvGhHUWIvDL1XT0M/s1600/live+in+relationship+%2528nrigujarati.co.in%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGCv2eBHKeltKxPKJ2drcg_B21mzZbLCH-8fNLgyhpoRlxX29jjm96NNB8egKwVUEt6rknAoKQKKWuxyJOQgxE0JxMLwDqJb0df8JgVCaP9lVtGuxewLiqJCsWddrjvGhHUWIvDL1XT0M/s320/live+in+relationship+%2528nrigujarati.co.in%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: nrigujarati.co.in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-83181576549100649692015-07-21T19:52:00.002+05:302015-07-21T20:35:01.073+05:30Shashi’s Seven minute Succinct Speech on Saying Sorry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quite the
tongue twister that one, eh? Yeah, that’s what happens when you try to work a
little too hard on your title. You end up making a tongue twister that hardly
anyone can read, much else dare to click on the link and read the supposedly
equally horrifying content contained under such a dubious head line. However, coming to the topic at hand...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Statesman who <i>almost</i> did things</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL-nLoZLcKnQSSI0zHgXq2eCBSTQQ8TJpVjwW4035YJw3NZ2glrUWqQisI6eueY18_rl-fces7IjVAMNKdWj5GovYjf9UlxKDnrMbv_QxwHL0xNKrpLCY5mglTZnINRuNa_hr1oN1MZ39/s1600/Shashi+Tharoor+%2528thehindu.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdL-nLoZLcKnQSSI0zHgXq2eCBSTQQ8TJpVjwW4035YJw3NZ2glrUWqQisI6eueY18_rl-fces7IjVAMNKdWj5GovYjf9UlxKDnrMbv_QxwHL0xNKrpLCY5mglTZnINRuNa_hr1oN1MZ39/s320/Shashi+Tharoor+%2528thehindu.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr Shashi Tharoor<br />
Image Courtesy: thehindu.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dr Shashi
Tharoor, the man who <i>almost</i> headed the United Nations, the man who knows
<i>almost </i>everything about socio-economic India in the present age; this
man <i>almost</i> brought the British Empire down to its knees at the <b>‘Reparations
debate’</b> at the Oxford Union Society. The proposition was that Britain owed
reparations to her former colonies for their colonization.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Case for an Apology</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0mY8UgM7GE8DxCiB0e-ELEq3j1K90IIIqf76eJqvh-Ov9mFDdYzwav1Aqjqc7-xCZCRbkU2cFx3GSAxJzfgM2EJgvx9PVaYlXX9EDivjCL416cLzKJe7HQR4EL9Y1UwQguQ-MS_xYyTl/s1600/The+British+Empire+Anachronous+%2528The+Red+Hat+of+Pat+Ferrick%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0mY8UgM7GE8DxCiB0e-ELEq3j1K90IIIqf76eJqvh-Ov9mFDdYzwav1Aqjqc7-xCZCRbkU2cFx3GSAxJzfgM2EJgvx9PVaYlXX9EDivjCL416cLzKJe7HQR4EL9Y1UwQguQ-MS_xYyTl/s400/The+British+Empire+Anachronous+%2528The+Red+Hat+of+Pat+Ferrick%2529.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The British Empire Anachronous<br />
Image Courtesy: The Red Hat of Pat Ferrick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dr Tharoor
spoke eloquently for the proposition, made mockery of the opposition, cited
statistics, and even managed to calculate to a certain extent, how much Britain
needs to pay India if she decides to do so. But, in the midst of all the
financial talk, he said something that made perhaps more sense than everything
else put together: <b>The need to accept a mistake and say sorry</b>. To pay or
not to pay is a matter of ambiguous uncertainty but to say that a debt is
indeed owed is what is important.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Indirect
genocides through the inaction of the British Empire through various famines
and the active participation in human rights abuse is something that needs to
be accepted. Although it is true that a deliberate mass killing was not
initiated but the death toll and one psychological, need to be addressed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Unanswered Question</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However, one
question does remain unanswered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">Sixty-eight years on, do Indians even care
about reparations, and for that matter, do any of the former colonies who have
since then stabilized, settled into their democratic framework and progressed
with the world into the 21<sup>st</sup> century?</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This
question is not meant as an insult to all those who fought for our freedom or
who lost their near and dear ones either fighting for or against British rule
in India. Only time and the unearthing of bones long put to rest will tell
whether we are indeed capable of holding on to an <i>almost</i> seven decade
long grudge against people long dead and dusted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-4112783481989193602015-07-18T19:33:00.001+05:302015-07-18T19:36:14.599+05:30If Minions were real, Humans would kill them all<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the
first Despicable Me movie released in 2010, toddler and teenage audiences have
been obsessed by the little yellow innocently evil army of villainous sidekicks
aptly named ‘Minions’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although the minions were conjectured to have been
engineered from humans by Gru, their master, the latest ‘Minions’ movie,
released in 2015, apparently says that they were present as an individual
sentient species on Earth since the dawn of man.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Minions,
considered cute, cuddly, oblivious to their havoc and seemingly unaware of
their stupidity and utter devotion to pure evil, have won over audiences all
over the world. This is probably what led the producers to make a film entirely
dedicated to them as central characters and set the timeline as the prequel to
‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Despicable Me2’ where they serve as underlings to a super
villain Gru in the former, and his reformed self in the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V3YFCgoiPP7-0iLEC3wzPL97ABPeXwDRMyJqE1L7fwebaXn40OsbL1OEwtogF-bllFmYE5tggxqx7QLIpV2FPKYDZLa1Xh4vHHYnW0BiUvNrd2uZ92EoL1RwDhMdJN_btrQTOFbvXo8N/s1600/red.fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V3YFCgoiPP7-0iLEC3wzPL97ABPeXwDRMyJqE1L7fwebaXn40OsbL1OEwtogF-bllFmYE5tggxqx7QLIpV2FPKYDZLa1Xh4vHHYnW0BiUvNrd2uZ92EoL1RwDhMdJN_btrQTOFbvXo8N/s1600/red.fm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: red.fm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the fan
following for these adorable creatures can materialize only in cinema, as
present societal beliefs and practices prove so blatantly. This conclusion can
be drawn from just one pertinent question that needs to be asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">“Would humans find the minions so adorable in
real life?”</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The answer
must be a resounding ‘<b><span style="color: yellow;">NO</span></b>’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If we strip
them down to their basic qualities, the minions are a <b><span style="color: yellow;">highly intelligent
life form, very durable, capable of building and operating complex weaponry,
socially inept, linguistically hampered, ardently loyal and in perpetual need of
a leader</span></b> (preferably evil).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPEuELLFEWgunzCxUgxuMOePyPC4gBxVn6qwDsdV8I-4YItKuDbYzdJAuPCdNh-gtpr3EB2EG-Mu_iea9gJlljHBb3Nfnit-ext3B9gAvqVEPeVmRlqSD6eT1G2dkQgQZX_DEq_01p2iQ/s1600/Minion+1+%2528quotesnhumor.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPEuELLFEWgunzCxUgxuMOePyPC4gBxVn6qwDsdV8I-4YItKuDbYzdJAuPCdNh-gtpr3EB2EG-Mu_iea9gJlljHBb3Nfnit-ext3B9gAvqVEPeVmRlqSD6eT1G2dkQgQZX_DEq_01p2iQ/s1600/Minion+1+%2528quotesnhumor.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: quotesnhumour.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If one were
to go through these qualities again, the realization that this army of mad
mercenary scientists want to willingly pledge loyalty to an ambitious
psychopath hits pretty hard. Well, at least to people who know how civilization
works.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Would
governments in the world today accept this species to live and flourish
alongside the human race?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Would they
take the chance of the minions falling under the command of rogue forces,
terrorists and dictatorial nations?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Would they
not be swiftly and brutally exterminated because of the fact that they
potentially cannot be rehabilitated (as evidenced by millennia of lack of
evolution)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Even if
they did eventually learn to lead normal lives along side humans (which is not
possible given the assumption that the Neanderthal was wiped out by Homo
sapiens) would we accept them as equal to humans or would they be degraded to
second-class beings?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So, is
there a scenario in which the Minions manage to survive and make a place in the
hearts of humans as they have in the films? I find it highly unlikely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: yellow;">What do you
think?</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-82819982526812882015-07-16T13:28:00.000+05:302015-07-16T13:39:12.444+05:30Lèse-majesté laws: Shield of Solemnity or Sword of Silence?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The term lèse-majesté implies injury or harm to the majesty of
eminent persons, most often used to describe insults to monarchs and visiting
heads of State and Government in many countries of the world. In some
countries, it may also be treated as treason.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Since the decline of absolute monarchy in all but a handful of
nations, there aren’t any strict laws against lèse-majesté but laws preventing
the populace from speaking against democratic governments have instead sprung
up, which basically amounts to the same thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKj0Ib6_J3ScOpYOJumJXgY6Ty1a9FsucvvIlaE9zoJslPQsLXlQrbkYhJpsyj8F19tnzmAalKq2FBhpCXHFaceO1ksqwmiEPOmYKKhI0HbsVLz4gPnB4u2uQurxUOVAL28BqE_NcNPs5r/s1600/crown-and-thorns+%2528genius.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKj0Ib6_J3ScOpYOJumJXgY6Ty1a9FsucvvIlaE9zoJslPQsLXlQrbkYhJpsyj8F19tnzmAalKq2FBhpCXHFaceO1ksqwmiEPOmYKKhI0HbsVLz4gPnB4u2uQurxUOVAL28BqE_NcNPs5r/s320/crown-and-thorns+%2528genius.com%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: genius.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Recent incidents of people being charged with lèse-majesté in
Europe show that it isn’t taken very seriously and may be categorized with
similar laws like defamation or libel. Over years, these laws have been watered
down by the rise of democracy and the lack of power wielded by the monarch. A
Polish man was fined US $ 6,200 in 2005 for insulting Pope John Paul II, a
visiting head of state. In 2007, a man was jailed for a week in the Netherlands
for insulting Queen Beatrix. A magazine in Spain was fined for portraying the
then Prince of Asturias and his wife engaged in sexual intercourse in 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">However, in nations like Thailand, where the monarchy is looked
upon in reverence and is almost deified, lèse-majesté laws are brutal and have
a maximum of 15 years imprisonment for trying to besmirch the image of the
ruler, the head, the face and the symbol of unity of the nation. Also, lèse-majesté
doesn’t need to be proved in Thailand, it need only be deemed to exist. The
government has taken an increasingly hard line against those who criticize the
monarchy, even though the king himself asked the public to do so because even
he was prone to making mistakes. From 1990-2006, the country saw approximately
75 cases while it saw over 400 from 2006-2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The arguments for lèse-majesté laws can be made on both sides. On
one side, they protect the sovereign, who may be the symbolic or actual
personification of a nation, from being treated like a common person. On the
other hand, it withholds from the public the fundamental right of the freedom
of expression. Now that the world is over the whole idea of the ‘divine right’
to rule’, should the monarch still be kept protected or should the people get
the right to express discontent and criticize those in power?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">How do then governments strike the right balance between preserving
the dignity of monarchy and preserve the right to expression? The answer is
not simple one but one perhaps that can
be answered by ruling families themselves who can be open to civilized and constructive
criticism, and learn to take sarcasm in the right spirit. Looking inward to
introspect and improve relations with those devoid of “blue blood” may perhaps
yield better results than laws dealing with lèse-majesté.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Whether you are a reader from a monarchical nation or not,
I’d like to know your thoughts on the matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-80499685312377161992015-07-12T19:39:00.000+05:302015-07-12T19:39:42.470+05:30Is the Illiterate better than the Educated?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Narrative</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So there
was this friend of mine who had to go pay her electricity bill and then get to
work. To her dismay, she found a long line of people waiting in line to pay
their bills. That day she learnt not to wait for the last day to pay a bill. As
you will see, a lesson well learnt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So as she
resigned herself to being late to work and getting half a day’s pay getting cut
by getting in line, she knew that the boss was wasn’t going to happy. But this
was more important. If she didn’t pay the bill today, a lot of other people
wouldn’t be happy what with the earth-scorching heat in India rendering even
industrial strength fans useless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So there
she stood, drops of sweat dripping down her forehead one by one like the
ticking of the seconds hand on her watch. One bill got paid, two, three, four…
and then something happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A man and
someone who appeared to be his valet came into the office. They discussed
something and the valet stepped into the back of the queue as his employer went
striding directly into the office, not giving a damn to the incredulous looks
of all those awaiting their turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbi7t84EEoJrSI3B8z5deFZ2Ql4d_7BHmrDQgNwwk2BVGVoRJrJwIfx8K_AX5PVbHudXoVL-76hIB5uGd9YR5OFA9qnqmU1FeSy0N7A3dvICHbGQWJuLRPbuzAnTBY3mAcSVMxzguQM-s/s1600/Cutting+the+Queue+%2528happilyunmarried.com%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbi7t84EEoJrSI3B8z5deFZ2Ql4d_7BHmrDQgNwwk2BVGVoRJrJwIfx8K_AX5PVbHudXoVL-76hIB5uGd9YR5OFA9qnqmU1FeSy0N7A3dvICHbGQWJuLRPbuzAnTBY3mAcSVMxzguQM-s/s1600/Cutting+the+Queue+%2528happilyunmarried.com%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: happilyunmarried.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All this
took place in slow motion for her. You see, time tends to slow down the longer
you stand in a queue. Every minute becomes longer then the next and one gets
the time to ponder upon every thought running in one’s mind till they simply
run out eventually.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was only
after she had exhausted every other thought that her mind, craving activity,
demanded that she divert herself studying those destined to sweat it out along
with her to avoid doing so at home later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was then
that the man and his valet had appeared from the sunlit doorway and proceeded
to do the things they had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fast
forwarding to five minutes later, when the man came out of the office, summoned
his valet to get out of line and bring his car around. Their work there was
done, the bill paid, the tea probably drunk and all without breaking a single
drop of sweat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Aghast was
the word that she used to describe the expressions of her co –queue mates.
Piercing stares followed the couple out the doors, looks probably reserved for
the most hateful of criminals and dictators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And the
moment they left, chaos erupted throughout the office. And by chaos, I mean a
wild, shouting, discourteous discourse between all those standing in the line.
Maybe it wasn’t so dramatic but I’ve been assured it wasn’t murmured whispering
of dissent either. Everyone was up in arms about the way that man’s bill had
been paid for he had definitely come to pay the bill and he had done it by
cutting the queue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Mindset</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Cutting a
queue is considered an act that is viler than even murder in India.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With such a
population, queues always seem to be longer than the importance of work to be
accomplished at the end of them. And although corruption is an accepted part of
life now (debatable), it still invokes the kind of powerless hatred that comes
with not being able to stop people who engage in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Takeaway</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the end
of this incident, an old woman made a very compelling statement that struck
right at the heart of “educated” society. She said, and I paraphrase, “<b>The way
these literate people behave, it’s better to be illiterate.</b>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Such a
poignant statement from one so experienced is not to be taken lightly and
although the lady may be making a gross generalization enveloping all kinds of
people under one umbrella of honesty and corruption, the thought dos have
merit, at least in this case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: yellow;">The Million Dollar Question</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Assuming that
you who read this are literate, allow me to pose a question:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Is the
educated Indian really working towards abolishing corruption or engaging even
more in its depravity?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-30312282153461334432015-07-05T20:01:00.000+05:302015-07-05T20:06:42.313+05:30Two boys: One Gay, the other a Terrorist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
The boy who
gained sympathy from the likes of Hillary Clinton and Ellen Degeneres for being
worried about his future in a homophobic world is perhaps no different from the
child who is brainwashed by terrorists and ordered to execute a Syrian soldier
in cold blood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Both these
boys are rightfully afraid for their present and future because they live in a
world where both of them are considered non-conformist, alien and diseases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>One is
scared of being shunned, the other of being shot.</li>
<li>One is
scared of being marginalized, the other of maximum security prison.</li>
<li>One is
scared of his father on Earth, the other of his father in Heaven.</li>
<li>One lives
in the closet, the other in the wilderness.</li>
<li>One knows
his choice will not change, the other does not have one.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It is easy
for children to feel different from others, what is difficult is bringing them
back. The world is becoming a harsh place for the very children who are to
inherit this planet. The United Nations report on child rights, their
conditions, nutrition and death is appalling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And in the
case of these two kids, the world is a much nastier place because
malnutrition, diseases, poverty… these are accepted problems by the world
community and everyone is, at least in concept, willing to work on these
causes. But homophobia and hatred/fear towards child soldiers are not things
governments are willing to talk about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j0nE93YDdLR9bz2DCDHHYqYkZ9v_uq87ONexRXn5obwkKP0LpAJ-hc4luuEfOxiI0bawnIDjDX03wcD1iUtU3EPOlo1lXSyt37tEtfh57AEigbxjBoiPg1HINnBhDILrWICZgI6B0fS2/s1600/Gay+child+%2528sodahead.com%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j0nE93YDdLR9bz2DCDHHYqYkZ9v_uq87ONexRXn5obwkKP0LpAJ-hc4luuEfOxiI0bawnIDjDX03wcD1iUtU3EPOlo1lXSyt37tEtfh57AEigbxjBoiPg1HINnBhDILrWICZgI6B0fS2/s320/Gay+child+%2528sodahead.com%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: sodahead.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A large
section of the world criminalizes homosexuality and treats it more like a
disease than a way of life. The basic human right of love and the freedom of
expression are suppressed either by avoidance of discussion or by severe
repercussions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvnDtSnHr3B166uBLLtCQBRN9y39W6JpprwQ2ce9Ad_pEZlFoI5Pc0BRzsn9aHZMR8E-mS47ednl1cCu3mzMqiHg9yH4B601vfSNZSDGY1PBa4hkOAAAfr5U6n24qBVSKThIbSc9IM55J/s1600/ISIS+child+soldiers+%2528dailymail.co.uk%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvnDtSnHr3B166uBLLtCQBRN9y39W6JpprwQ2ce9Ad_pEZlFoI5Pc0BRzsn9aHZMR8E-mS47ednl1cCu3mzMqiHg9yH4B601vfSNZSDGY1PBa4hkOAAAfr5U6n24qBVSKThIbSc9IM55J/s320/ISIS+child+soldiers+%2528dailymail.co.uk%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: dailymail.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Child
soldiers remain in the hands of their terrorist handlers long enough either to
get killed by government forces or to grow up believing staunchly in the cause
they kill and mutilate for. Then, there is no way back for them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Engaging in
meaningful dialogue through spread of awareness and strong action by
governments are not enough. They are a step forward, sure, but not enough by
any standard of measure. What the world needs is a change in mindset for people
to accept diversity as part of human nature. The children need reassurance that
the adult world is there to look out for them and no matter the cost, the
future of the race will remain secure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-70257537617509996302015-07-01T18:44:00.000+05:302015-07-01T18:44:26.373+05:3010 ways living in a boys PG is more horrifying than you think<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of you already know that living out of
your house is not great and all is not hunky-dory but only when you go to live
in a boy’s PG do you actually get to experience hell-on-earth. It is a truly
enlightening experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">1. There’s a distinct lack of
privacy</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_1Q_qXCiB6o69XAYWr9z_LEDCw8GLv-vOrvZJNoq-KgwSy7V98Qwftdg8w_YRe-toonrhfc863yRXo_JaNCQgbT2zsdfrTdOJ48rCqFZjGa3UgXRs6R_F0Eo1h1HbiRTiPb1vz0tnqSz/s1600/1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_1Q_qXCiB6o69XAYWr9z_LEDCw8GLv-vOrvZJNoq-KgwSy7V98Qwftdg8w_YRe-toonrhfc863yRXo_JaNCQgbT2zsdfrTdOJ48rCqFZjGa3UgXRs6R_F0Eo1h1HbiRTiPb1vz0tnqSz/s320/1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Privacy? Ha-ha, what is that? This is the
state I have had to live in for the past five years. Over time I’ve sort of
become an expert on the subject with people peering into my computer screen,
looking at my texts, opening my cupboard and generally being more of a nuisance
then they tend to be everywhere else. It is more like a community shelter. I’ve
often wondered why I pay to live at these places and then I realize that my job
pays me so much that I can’t afford my own place without mortgaging myself and
nobody will even accept as collateral.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">2. Even your bottles get stolen</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5gwaWk-y9w5xTYG4Ij2KwIQ4lkujInloHsqT8PmrHeT_A-SS17DHAZ23buaWAwp-Gz34qqGEAgy2EswLbGWUZUU-t-zSq8gHQs_LWTxN830xw79FrBkc5M3VUXv2oy8beR2HJ7qTFdCj/s1600/2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP5gwaWk-y9w5xTYG4Ij2KwIQ4lkujInloHsqT8PmrHeT_A-SS17DHAZ23buaWAwp-Gz34qqGEAgy2EswLbGWUZUU-t-zSq8gHQs_LWTxN830xw79FrBkc5M3VUXv2oy8beR2HJ7qTFdCj/s320/2.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You have to get used to the fact that you
no longer buy things for yourself but for everyone who ventures into your room
to use your deodorant, eat your snacks, drink your juice, sleep on your bed and
even drink the water that you kept in the fridge five hours ago so that it
could get cold. In the end, you still get to drink hot water in 45 degrees Celsius.
Your things get used and then they don’t even get replaced because you
obviously brought it for everyone to use. You stop expecting people to fill
your bottle and keep it after they drink from it because no matter how much you
scream at them, indiscipline is the only principle that is followed with
religious zeal everywhere.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">3. There’s no space to even </span><s style="text-indent: -18pt;">walk
around </s><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">breathe!</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk6kw_Wmb-OiZRehqG0WlZCUwJ6J3cfifBmmwooPyIEGi7oXhyphenhyphen70owA31AfZb-b2m8RgA5qT8bmj94d243xaiDvAdNYdzt4i_YjLUcbVjoW_FbV_uw5E1U_tsPdHO3kqkaEpwWULbX0bE/s1600/3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk6kw_Wmb-OiZRehqG0WlZCUwJ6J3cfifBmmwooPyIEGi7oXhyphenhyphen70owA31AfZb-b2m8RgA5qT8bmj94d243xaiDvAdNYdzt4i_YjLUcbVjoW_FbV_uw5E1U_tsPdHO3kqkaEpwWULbX0bE/s320/3.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The paying guest business is booming and if
I had enough money, I’d buy a place and rent it out too but since I don’t I’m
waiting for someone to gift me some property. In the meantime, PGs are so
cluttered that you are overwhelmed with the sheer number of people in your
vicinity. I had a sense of personal space about five years ago. It got violated
the first time I stepped into a PG and I’ve never managed to reclaim it ever
since. You gradually realize that the only place you have a modicum of actual
unadulterated air to breathe is on your own bed. The moment you get up, it’s
like a Mumbai local but with considerably less chances of getting thrown out
and dying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">4. Food habits change with every
new place</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xWhTNPoUOB6D8WX2V2o5IN3QKgvh5zb2WwLwmN2cjl7Cw1AY539vCtlz-slIZFXbSZ05TbuicgvLSjf-t7u2bMmnqAWuil87QooueQx0y_F5pxxTrNzV2DOKMob0zqQyIztOyFcVWv8O/s1600/4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xWhTNPoUOB6D8WX2V2o5IN3QKgvh5zb2WwLwmN2cjl7Cw1AY539vCtlz-slIZFXbSZ05TbuicgvLSjf-t7u2bMmnqAWuil87QooueQx0y_F5pxxTrNzV2DOKMob0zqQyIztOyFcVWv8O/s320/4.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Like South Indian food? Like Punjabi? Like
Indian-Chinese? Like Gujarati fafda-jalebi? Sorry, who cares what you like.
Most PGs hire people who can cook a maximum of two types of food. Sometimes,
it’s just one type. So if you manage to find a place that serves different food
on different days, you’re in luck but if you’re getting too cocky, don’t. You
never know when the cook might get changed for stealing, making everyone sick
or because of a payment issue. You might want to search out a safe alternative
place that will deliver food to wherever you stay. It makes life much easier.
But you always have the option of staying alive on tea, biscuits, wafers and
good old Maggi. Damn! Is that an endorsement? Will I go to jail?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">5. Contracting a communicable
disease is relatively easy</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1vYUOobcBigWQoWNkhP9aLzwEjKkiVfHbfup2RmTP30qZVKIIjgeLSRrIeeTJwTxDieQ_uq8QzZGadDeDGw4UF1Lf1LKE6w857R12WFgJmsomtxFR8xu6JnbPCPmE0omm-r_WcRX51Vh/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1vYUOobcBigWQoWNkhP9aLzwEjKkiVfHbfup2RmTP30qZVKIIjgeLSRrIeeTJwTxDieQ_uq8QzZGadDeDGw4UF1Lf1LKE6w857R12WFgJmsomtxFR8xu6JnbPCPmE0omm-r_WcRX51Vh/s320/5.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Did you read the third point where I said
that… just go and read it. On the other hand, if you did, you now know how it
would be as easy as one sneeze, one cough, one handshake, one snot-barrage to
spread any air-borne or touch-based communicable disease. PGs are what you can
describe as the perfect environment for malign viruses and bacterium to
flourish. It can take anywhere between three days and a week for the common
cold to infect everyone. Now you know why I had myself checked for swine flu
every time I coughed or sneezed. If you didn’t already know how dangerous this
disease is, go check the stats, this article can wait. And now imagine that you
are living in a place looks clean but harbours more diseases than the WHO lab
in World War Z.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">[This is my article for the Youth Connect magazine. You can read the entire article here: <a href="http://www.youthconnect.in/2015/06/27/10-ways-living-in-a-boys-pg-is-more-horrifying-than-you-think/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">10 Ways living in a Boy's PG is more horrifying than you think</span></a>]</span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-59099458650857801752015-06-28T18:14:00.000+05:302015-06-28T18:14:24.550+05:30The Burden of Great Expectations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be or
not to be - that is the question I asked myself when faced with the prospect of
studying law a few years back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a
tough question, one I could not take lightly. To study for another five years,
to study something else or to start working immediately after my graduation,
these were the A-B-C options I had. I took the second option. I decided to
study journalism.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My choice
was a disappointment for many and a surprising move for others. But I had made it
nonetheless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now, after
two years, at the cusp of my post graduation degree and after the submission of
my thesis on ‘Conflict Reportage in Indian English Newspapers’ I am finally
sure that I indeed made the right choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However,
now that I’ll be going out into the real world, I realize that the expectations
of all those people who supported me as well as those who were skeptical of my
choice are entirely too much. Over time, people have come to expect great
things from those who complete their ‘Masters’ degree and the case is the same
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m
expected to get selected into a large firm, get a respectable position and draw
a salary that an HR would choke on before doling it out to a fresher. Great
expectations!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9y06HPP0aRqQY79Wp1CJCpzlTOSHce3xUrUqLb5TdzI2WQ3JWclduDgHZq_cubPbsDtAhhaXJEhkqpXJEG6FMSgs22bGkDhyPuRXL_7YOMqU16LfLqeZB5hqvd_JcW-YaUJhowMDSIiAl/s1600/atlas_large+%2528www.wordsmith.org%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9y06HPP0aRqQY79Wp1CJCpzlTOSHce3xUrUqLb5TdzI2WQ3JWclduDgHZq_cubPbsDtAhhaXJEhkqpXJEG6FMSgs22bGkDhyPuRXL_7YOMqU16LfLqeZB5hqvd_JcW-YaUJhowMDSIiAl/s320/atlas_large+%2528www.wordsmith.org%2529.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: wordsmith.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Confidence
in a person’s ability is great, but turning this person into Atlas by tossing
him a world of expectations and saying, “Catch!” well that’s not cool. Time and
experience is what takes someone to great heights and erecting an unreal
pedestal before that helps nobody.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hence, all
you impertinent parents and teachers and friends and relatives, calm down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It will
happen… in Time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-1052291175872160492015-06-24T14:23:00.000+05:302015-06-26T12:50:17.957+05:30Haiku #11 – An Illogical Choice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRXwIz-QP40n7a_eLb8KZ0XxJ2eWc3rXXLB2ib8z5aZ6bywi-uwiYOHxiexgE332BIvzSdXTBr2ksTfI6XvjUiYNnT-3ZXBonk3m5Gf0dlv15qI9Nb6Ijnem4xs8oL2YlHaTRYW0MViiJ/s1600/1590709_orig%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRXwIz-QP40n7a_eLb8KZ0XxJ2eWc3rXXLB2ib8z5aZ6bywi-uwiYOHxiexgE332BIvzSdXTBr2ksTfI6XvjUiYNnT-3ZXBonk3m5Gf0dlv15qI9Nb6Ijnem4xs8oL2YlHaTRYW0MViiJ/s320/1590709_orig%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: slayerment.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">In this
modern age,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Where
science explains life itself;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">Religion
still rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Note</b>: This Haiku is written in the Indian context where political leaders and pseudo-experts
claim that cures to dreaded diseases are contained within religious texts
without any proof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5262814280649064670.post-91647940100928279842015-06-21T02:07:00.000+05:302015-06-21T02:07:41.527+05:30The Visitation of a Lifetime<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was
weird!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">By any
standard of archaic Indian culture and tradition, this was not only weird; it
was in direct violation of how things should be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had
carefully combed and again tousled my hair which made it about the fifth time I
had done so in the past 15 minutes. Around six shirts lay in a heap on my bed
and three pairs of trousers were strewn in a menagerie of disarray, creating a
cloth road from the bathroom door to the kitchen where I gone to check up on
the stuffed turkey in the oven and chocolate cheesecake in the fridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It had to
be perfect; every aspect of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">They were
coming to see me, asses me, see if I was fit to be married into their family.
And for that, I would have to work hard, very hard. You see, inter-religious
marriage still isn’t a very big thing where I come from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had
invited them over to dinner and they had accepted. My parents would not make it
today, their flight delayed by incessant rains, but these people hadn’t
cancelled. They wanted to see me what for I was, without having to make small
talk with my parents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I just
hoped my apartment, my cooking skills, my education and most importantly, that
I was up to their expectations. I wouldn’t want to disappoint my love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had
prepared a slightly burnt vegetable starter, tomato soup, a stuffed turkey and
a hopefully delicious cheesecake for dessert. Ping! The turkey was done. The
taste was delectable. They will love it, I assure myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As I start
folding the rest of my discarded clothes and arrange my truckload of novels
neatly on the living room shelf, the doorbell rings. I panic, hastening my
chores and shouting, “one minute” in the general direction of the doorway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Don’t
bother, it’s just me. Open up,” I hear the voice of the one who makes my heart
flutter and skip a beat. “Coming,” I yell and open the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“I knew you
wouldn’t be done, so I came to help out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Thank you
darling, you’re the best.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As we
joined forces to put the rest of my apartment into some semblance of a habitable
environment, “What’s that weird smell?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“What?” I ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“You don’t
smell it? Really?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And then it
hit me. The acrid sting of rain-soaked clothes mingling with a hint of turkey
and a waft of chocolate hit me just as I was about to retort with extreme
prejudice. The metaphorical glass of illusion had shattered. And suddenly, I was
panicking again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Damn, that’s
strong.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Exactly!”
came the even more stinging reply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I ran to
the bedroom to get my can of deodorant and proceeded to soak the house from
balcony to verandah till I ran out of it. I sat down, a triumphant smile on my
face. Done… and done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And then
there it was again, emerging from the thick barrier of deodorant, to assault me
once more. Damn! Why wouldn’t it go away?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Looks like
your master plan’s a dud, huh?” sarcasm in the face of an emergency. Like that
was going to help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My partner
ran down to the car and rushed back holding a can of Ambi Pur Air Effects
Spring Air Freshener. “Try this maybe?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I didn’t
need to be told twice. And just as I finished gently dabbing the apartment with
it, the doorbell rang. It was time. And I was ready; the apartment, smelling
like the 1<sup>st</sup> of July, was too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My love
went to the door just as I finished straightening my clothes. Opening it wide,
she said, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Here is
the man I want to marry!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am
blogging for <a href="http://blog.blogadda.com/2015/06/09/battle-household-odors-daily-smellytosmiley" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">#SmellyToSmileyactivity</span></a> at <a href="http://blogadda.com/"><span style="color: red;">Blogadda.com</span></a> in association with <a href="https://www.rewardme.in/tag/ambipur" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Ambi Pur</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Brendan Dabhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02553127085253015495noreply@blogger.com0