Author I Admire IV - Khaled Hosseini

During the past year when I was dealing with personal tragedy, books became my best friend - and so did work.

I picked up and read books by various authors. Notably, I read the books by Khaled Hosseini. I have read two of his books - The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I found The Kite Runner to be a better book. It has been made into into a movie and has gained enough popularity and awards.

It finds a mention on Wikipedia too.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kite_Runner

And if you are interested in the author - here's his spot on the web:
http://www.khaledhosseini.com/

His style of writing is simple.... the simplicity with which he potrays the harsh facts and tragedies in life is heart wrenching. While reading the book, one can simply close one's eyes and the entire scene as descriped by Khaled Hosseini comes to life... such is the power of his writing. His portryal of human emotions like guilt, betrayal, helplessness is stupendous.

Life Stopped..... And Started again....

Its been a long absence from here. More than a year in fact.....

A lot has happened in this year.... learnt how to deal with personal tragedy.

It made me and my family stronger and more self reliant.

We learnt the meaning of the phrase - 'Time is a great healer'.

Hope to continue writing on my blog again... and hope that you see the difference in my writing style too......

A Success Story - Mukesh Ambani

This is a first for me on my blog - writing about one of the business whizkids of India who has changed how the world looks at India - Mukesh Ambani. This article had been published in the New York Times. I wonder when will the Indian media become savvy enough to do things like this so that the common man in India comes to know about the deeds and acheivements of worthy sons of the soil.

Again, this article is written very simply and states all the facts about him that could be of interest to the user:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/business/worldbusiness/15ambani.html?ex=1214193600&en=201eb9e0833297a9&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Three cheers to the New York Times.....

The Two faces of India

This again is an URL that had reached my mailbox. What struck me was the simplicity with which the author had brought out the differences between India's rich and India's poor..... a fantastically written aritcle.....


Here's the slide show:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/09/world/0609-GATED_index.html?ex=1213761600&en=2cf94a96ad13f62c&ei=5070&emc=eta3

and the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/world/asia/09gated.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The impact of the Noida double murder

Recently, I received the following URL in my mail:


http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showcolumns.aspx?id=COLEN20080051397&ch=6/12/2008%2012:06:00%20PM

It is a comment on the most talked about crimes to happen in recent times - The Aarushi Talwar-Hemraj murder. It is an insight into the sociological reasons and impacts of the crime. After having read it, I had a definite contarsting viewpoint on some of the things that the author has written about.

And my viewpoints about it are as follows:

Well.... most of us are the next generation to the generation which is higher than ours and are therfore a by-product ourselves. Stories abound of how men in the family take advantage of the young maids in the house. Entire generation of us have been brought up on a staple diet of such facts of life. In our generation, women have acknowledged their own sexuality and dont feel ashamed of it. The generation next to mine therefore has confident women too but due to all the technological advancements they are a lot younger in age now. And our male dominated society cannot take it any more.... so it is fashionable and sign of manhood if the guy of the house takes advantage of the maid.. but totally unacceptable if it happens the other way round. So what happens to all the talk of gender equality.... I think that one has been relegated under the carpet... society is wanting to turn a blind eye to the affects of past deeds and trends.

As for domestic helps.... with the nuclear families abounding so much, the dependence on domestic helps is very high. I have seen quite a few people who treat their domestic helps very nicely because it os the need of the day. I am not denying that there are some people who try to do the 'good thing' but there are some genuine people out there too... and I can just hope that the number of such people show an increase.

---------------------------------

Various articles and comments like this have surfaced in the past month on this sensational double murder. Each contradicting the other and thought provoking to a certain extent. The citizens have witnessed the inadequacy of the Noida police, the women and child welfare ministry raising its voice for the dignity of the dead child, the pressures on the CBI, the respect that the news media has given to the Talwars by showing restraint in what is being aired, a popular television production house being rapped on the knuckles about trying to cash in on a family's tragedy. Its all happening but we still just want to see one thing..... and that is Justice For Aarushi and Hemraj.

Reality Bites Hard VI ... The negative effect of Media

A couple of days ago the National Capital Region of India realised with full force of the extent of affect that the media is having in forming and distorting the minds of young Indians. All the news channels were airing an incident that took place in a school in Gurgaon where a 13 year old kid turned his gun on another school fellow - who also happened to be 13 years of age - just because he claimed that the victim was an un-bearable bully. The victim died on the spot. Thus a budding life was snuffed out before it had a chance to survive and contribute to the society.

When I heard the news then there were a couple of initial reactions that I had:

1. The perpetrators of the crime are unaware of the consequences of the deed.
2. There is a certain degree of lack of respect for the law which probably is inculcated by the environment that the boy lives in.
3. Somehow the level of tolerance and forgiveness is low among today's generation.
4. In today's society there is easy access to weapons - which might have been procured for protection of one's dignity but somehow the perception of dignity has become distorted and out of shape.

As had been pointed out in earlier articles written in this blog, the media has a very strong hand these days in shaping the minds of today's generation and their reach is very high. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the media as to what kind of message are they conveying. Turn on an entertainment channel and there are daily soaps that potray coming back alive from the dead, bending of the law, escaping the law, commiting acts of crime skillfully to avoid detection, shows of egoism, inflicting mental anguish, low tolerance and vendetta. Turn on any news channel and there are evidences of money and power being used to escape the law.

Today's high paced life style also gives parents little time to pay attention to their children. They substitute money for time and values and escape the guilt of giving young India today the citizens that it has. Home is the best place to learn..... both good things and bad. Aren't we all failing to build a strong, responsible, tolerant and law abiding younger generation?

Isn't it time we changed a few neccessary facts of life and be proud of having mentored a child to have good, strong, forgiving, tolerant character?

Reality Bites Hard V....Old Tradiitons... Old Curses

Yes in some ways India is really going places these days. But along with the new generations point of view, there are the old curses that we have been forced to put up with and with politics making it a more ugly and grim picture...... casteism in India..... and the fallout is still felt loud and clear even today..... it is being promoted by young minds... a section of which are being applauded as they are instrumental in bringing India to where she is right now.
I was completely dumfounded to read this article (Caste wars in AIIMS):

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070026330&ch=9/16/2007%2011:22:00%20PM

And another raging example which is currently grabbing the headlines is that of Ram Setu which underline the ugly nexus between religion and politics... hampering the highlighting of the real issues like ecological damage in case the setu is modified and dampening the growth of trade.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=17125 (Video on We, the people episode aired on September 16, 2007)

Ray of Hope - Another One

Hi Guys. I am back from a prolonged illness and feeling like I have been away for ages. I just about managed to keep my head up professionally and concentrated on getting well.

After some depressing days, I found the following article on the BBC which lifted up my spirits. I wonder why such articles are not found in any of the Indian news sites.... probably because it entails positive journalism instead of the negative one...... here it is..... and it will be difficult to digest that it is the state of Bihar which has won the accolades....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6263984.stm

Mera Bharat ban raha hai mahaan.... :-P

Blogging... Is it worth it?

Found this very interesting article on blogging as compared to journalism and the viability of blogging. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did....

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/web2.0story.asp?id=ARTEN20070009520

Happy Blogging :P

Reality Bites Hard - IV - Isn't it in-evitable?

For how long should we keep the tinted glasses on and pretend that India is well on its way to becoming a super-power and is poised to become a force to reckon with in world economy. In various articles in this blog I have clearly and concisely discussed why this is a fallacy... a dream that would require major re-organization and restructuring for it to work as it should. And there are miles to go before we acheive the dream that we claim is already fulfilled.

It is to be noted that news channels like the BBC have started questioning the claim that India is making.... isn't it time that someone did so? In an article where it discussed the booming retail market in India and the mushrooming of elite stores selling fresh vegetables and fruits for the growing Indian middle class, it also highlighted the plight of the un-educated marginal road-side fruit vendor who got directly hit by the opening of such stores. To read the complete analysis click here.

So, India's maladies might as well become the reason for its failure to becoming a super-power in the near future. The great divide between the middle and upper classes and the lower classes is very significant. The lack of education has been poined out as the major cause of this divide. So inspite of being such a populous country there is serious lack of skilled labor to support the mushrooming of MNC's who are ready to put up base in the Indian sub-continent. Click here to read a very well written article on the subject.

The BBC is talking about it. Some of the most knowledgeable people are also talking about it. How long would it take the whole world to talk about the fact that Indians had been grossly over-rated and that the state of the infrastructure in India does not warrant such huge expansion?

Isn't it time we really start doing something to save our dream????

Dor.... The story of two women

Since I have started this blog, we have laregley written about social concerns and have written about some of the good authors of India today. This is the first instance of discussing our views on a movie. We are fortunate enough to have the oppurtunity to discuss one of the best movies that I have had the pleasure to view in recent times.... Dor.

Dor is a film directed by Nagesh Kukunoor who has carved a unique niche for himself in the Indian film industry. His films are therefore enjoyed and viewed only by a unique section of Indian society. Like all his films this film also does not boast of any big stars or actors. It is a very sensitively directed film which highlights the relationship between two women coming from diverse backgrounds. The sub heading on the movie pack says 'How far would you go to save soemone you love?' The entire film revolves around this theme but what makes an impact is how sensitively the director has handled the relationship between city bred, independent woman living in Himachal Pradesh and a simple, young widow living in a village in Rajasthan steeped in tradition and completely dependent on her family.

As the film progresses, the two woman are bound together by mutual need which develops into an unusual friendship. The city bred woman is played by Gul Panag who is dependent upon the village widow to save her husband from capital punishment. The village widow is played by Ayesha Takia who knows only how to be dependent on her family which would ultimately betray her and sell her to the highest bidder. The director sensitively handled the coming of age of the young widow which motivates her in escaping the iron bands of wrong and sinful 'traditions'. She draws her strength from the city bred friend.

The quaint mutual dependence is highlighted very well in the movie. The sensitivity of the director is seen by the fact that he potrays neither woman to be stronger than the other. The gradual acceptance of a new set of values by the young village widow is very well potrayed when she answers back her father-in-law in soft but firm tones; dances a furitive jig on a well loved song and has the guts to leave her in-laws' house to make a life of her own. Certain other sensitively potrayed facts are the budding of romance between a villager and the city bred woman and the acceptance of the fact that there is nothing to the relationship.

Overall a very sensitive film devoid of any songs, thrills and completely negative characters. In short... a must watch film. We have completely loved other movies by Nagesh Kukunoor - Hyderabad Blues, Teen Deewarien, Iqbal, Dor.

************** Deepa and Shikha ******************