A Red 'DOT' Kiss!! Too "Hypocrite" to Resist Afterall.

Disclaimer: The letter below should not be deemed offensive in any manner, as the thoughts expressed in it were being very naively nurtured in my brain for quite a long time and finally they found their way out today in the same naive way through this sacrosanct message to God - The Almighty, without any intention of inflicting any kind of malice on my "Meat" loving friends out there. This just vents out my genuine feelings in open. Anyone is free to comment on the same with all the worldly freedom :)

Dear Almighty,

Since the time I have come to Goa, every single day so far, I have seen all kind of fishes, chickens, prawns, lobsters, crabs,....Wait a minute...List seems to be eternal - So, rather I should say - the complete animal kingdom you have created so far - being savored by my fellas on each of the dining tables I had my meals on. Well! That's indeed a splendid spectacle. They are the non vegetarian friends of mine. I respect their appetite and the avid love they possess for their innocent kingdom mates. Wait a Minute! Are you......? Nooo! Not at all! They are not like that as you think they are. Please Lord! Now who says they are bad? Woe Be'tide to those who feel or say so!! After all they are the part of the food chain and are certainly adhering to the theories and rules proposed by all the Darwins born in this world so far.

Here, I must tell you about one very important and adorable trait you are missing in them. They are very religious souls. They have full faith and an irrefutable belief in you - Yes! The God yourself. O Almighty, in this 21st century,where on earth you will find so many followers, when its brimming with atheists all around? You should be proud of these true devotees of yours. So what, if they stuff their tummies with Butter Chickens? How does it matter if they gormandize those delicious Rogan Joshes and Kababs as soon as they get served on the table? What difference does it make if they don't spare any single chance to grab their favorite palatable Crabs, kill them, rip their shells off from their body and relish their curries with a divine satisfaction, remembering you at the same time with extreme sense of culinary satisfaction?

Yes. I outrightly refute all the allegations you make against my friends on the basis of the above points. BECAUSE - O Lord! The Almighty! You would be moved by the disclosure which is going to come now - Today is Maha Shivratri! Your day, God - and you would be glad to know that my friends are fasting - Just having some leafy stuff - that's what they call a veg food - indeed a big deal for them. Also guess what? Yes! no non veg cuisine in the college mess. You are ought to appreciate that fortitude, Lord. No, its not a once in a while affair. Some of my mates fast on Tuesdays too (For The Hanuman Ji in you) and wait - Some on Thursdays too(For one of the abc God's in you). Ya. Trust me! Now are you convinced with the fact that how justified they are in having a perfect diet they have?

Don't be so rude O Lord! Are you trying to call them hypocrites? Well! I must not object to all your opinions. I am in the good list of yours. Don't want to tarnish my image for sure. Wink ;). But Hey! You have to consider my plea. You ain't that bad. Are you?

Do consider their considerations they make while grabbing a "RED DOTTED" food can. They just can't resist the temptation. But they do. They do it for you, O Lord! And you call them hypocrites? Huh. So Rude of you! :(

'Ganpat' - The Chaiwala!! - Inner Strength Exemplified!!

With the break of the dawn, he comes at his small kiosk, at a, not so conspicuous, corner of Sector 23 Market. He has his carrier along with him, which is a worn out tricycle on which he carries all the paraphernalia to set up his, not so famous, 'Tea Stall’. The carrier bears the load of his own(as he drives it), a gas cylinder, a burner, few tumblers - large and small, some jars and few countable tea glasses - which he has purchased after much thought and becomes too disturbed if, unfortunately, one of them breaks. It costs him a half day earning of his to purchase a new set and also has to listen to their customer's abuses failing to serve tea in a glass. So by the time his small tea stall sets up, the clock ticks 30 past 5 of the morning. Yes a chilly winter morning - when most of us prefer to cuddle ourselves into our cosy blankets. Now you will ask, who has asked this idiot to come to work so early? I too asked him this one day. His answer was "Bhaiya, few night shift blokes visit for the early morning sip. So my 2-3 glasses of tea gets sold daily between 5.30 and 6.00". Immediately I shot my next question - "But yaar just for 2-3 cups, why do you spoil your sleep and bear the brunt of this freeze?” He just added with a gullible smile "Bhaiya bahot ho jaate hain". I dint have anything to say after that.

He prepares one of the best teas of the market, as per his abilities, putting all the necessary ingredients - Tea Leaves, Milk, Sugar, Ginger - to start his day and to make his customers start their day with a bang!! But unfortunately, not so many people turn up to his kiosk. So he takes delivery orders too - from Pan-Wala, Electrician, Barber, Tailor, Medical and General Stores around, Reliance Fresh staff, Spencer staff and all those who are convinced with the 'Ganpat'(his name) Brand of tea. After preparing the tea for delivery, he swings into his carrier, along with the kettle and tea glasses and pedals through the shops where he has to deliver. He sometimes loses few visiting customers in the process of delivery. But he never deters from this. 

Then comes the collection of glasses from the delivery points - In the evening, when I come back from office and watch him in this phase of his day, it gives me shiver down to the bottom, as he never takes his carrier along. He says each time he can't drive his carrier. He feels tired. He simply swings down his small stool, on which he sits, and sports his slippers on his palms and with all the smoothness, he crawls briskly on the road, with people towering over him. Yes, you saw it correctly - he wears his slippers on his palms and crawls. He has purchased the slippers for his palms itself, as he doesn't have legs to walk. Both his legs are polio crippled. When he walks with the help of his palms on the rough road,( we can't even walk bare foot), that creates one of the most painful scene for that moment to watch at as it seems anyone can crush this man anytime, who seems so tiny down the road with humans and animals around paying no heed to his presence.

But Ganpat is not an ordinary human being. He has all his strength inside which is his willpower and eagerness to survive on his own. He may seem a tiny creature physically but he is the man of substance. He deems himself just an ordinary man. It’s his inner strength which has fetched lot of respect for himself. He dislikes any sort of sympathy and no one even gives that sympathy to him. The very stroll of his, which has so much valiance and pride within itself, would coerce you to smile in eulogy for this superhero of Sector 23.

This is what I would call a self strength and a desire to survive with a self esteem. We all must learn from the fortitude, the will power, and the tenacity he displays for his survival because had there been any ordinary person he would have definitely chosen to sit in front of any Gurudwara or a Temple with a begging bowl in hand. I agree that not all people of his ilk would be having the same determination to survive in a self esteemed way as Ganpat has but we - The “ables” - can surely encourage them to go for this by citing Ganpat's example. Can't we? I don't encourage beggars. I don't give anything to beggars who are very much able to earn their bread but have chosen not to work by their will and instead went for such a disgusting thing as begging. If Ganpat can do, why can't you damn it, with all your limbs at their places? We have lot of opportunities; we choose ourselves what to take and what not to shrug off. Everyone has options. It’s the attitude which helps you taking your call on this. It’s all there in your mind. It's just about to take the right decision believing in your abilities. Can't we educate these people who feel that begging is the easiest job to do? We should make them aware that they can make their life much better if they choose to drive their lives by themselves rather than depending on others. This would be a self realisation for them if we stop giving the able beggars anything. Stop encouraging beggars!! By entertaining beggars we are making an individual's life more miserable. Help only those who you feel can't help themselves. Think once.

Do we need another 1857??

As I repose today and introspect on the last two days' mayhem that shook the nation by its roots, I was bound to renounce my phlegmatic state of mind. It's not the time to repose, is it?? But we always do and wait for the terror to strike us someday. Till then who cares?? Haah!! Who would give you time to repose then? You would be a part of those hundred dead bodies and billions others would be gaping at their televisions to browse through your your corpse amidst the thousands' others and forget yet again. Are we playing any game here? Have we become so apathetic to such incidences that we hardly care that our very own nation is in jeopardy now. Its enough of showing the national spirit. Mumbai spirit, mumbai's resurrection, what is it all? Mumbaikars are not getting their bread and butter for free. Just like others, they also earn them. So they have no option left but to stand right again and start a new day, forgetting what had happened and thank the Almighty that they are safe this time. Media calls it mumbai's spirit and forgets the cause of the discussion. Few more speeches, few more committees, few more inquiries, few more coverages, and a deafening silence follows for those who are really worried about their safety. They have their questions unanswered yet again. To add to their worries, the perpetrators get a green signal to act to a new plan which can cause much more devastation next time. Now this has become a way of life for India and its citizens.

The terrorists have their plan ready each time. Where are our plans? Are we the mute spectators? Could these son of the swines have ever dared to commit such crimes, had we been as potent as the US is, currently. What signals are we passing to the world? Are we showing the globe that we are the most impotent nation in the world and beg them to come and invest here despite this unpropitious and ghastly environment? We are losing what we have gained. If we lose our reputation on this global map, we are vanquished. Forget development completely.

Now its high time we should act. We have to show that we are all powerful to respond back and do this with the Iron Hand, as Mrs Azmi said today. Whom are we waiting for? We have to convey a global message to the perpetrators that we are no more vulnerable. Enter their territory, search them and take them to a horrifying destiny that they deserve. We have to respond as violently and as vociferously as we can to make that gong echoed in the complete periphery of this globe.

Voting the right party is something next to impossible. We have to live with these impotent leaders. But we have no options left but to make that happen through these servants only. So lets awaken them. Lets have a loud nation wide protest. Lets reach to each and every individual of this country and let him know that we, as a nation, can respond. All united for that eternal sunrise, for which we are waiting for long. Lets pledge today that we wont let a single foot of the anti nationals, lie on our "Matri Bhoomi" for whose safety some of our brave hearts sacrificed their lives in the past two days. Lets pledge that no more such sacrifices would be needed that to for the reason whose very roots could have been removed way back, had we been a bit awake since beginning. Lets move now. Then only we would be in the right position to repose yet again.