Turmoil in Egypt and Tunisia

"Brick by brick, wall by wall, we will see Mubarak fall," chant people in Egypt who are disgruntled by almost everything – politics, economics, their lives and the state of their country. A revolution which is an expression of rage of hundreds of millions of people against the tyrannical regime of Hosni Mubarak, which is created, sustained and maintained by the United States with its money and military power, has made people lose their state of equipoise. The cataclysmic upheaval has compelled the unyielding dictator to quiver with fear. Mubarak’s army men are peeping out of “made in America” bunkers and getting ready with arms to crush the mass movement. With all the paraphernalia of the situation, his regime’s brutal repression proved useless against millions of protesters.

Similarly, in Tunisia, there is pandemonium. Protesters have shunned away the country’s despotic ruler Ben Ali and his folks to Saudi Arabia, which is the safest and the most reliable ally of the U.S. Despite this, the tyrant has refused to accept that his show is over. His men still hope that their beloved “America” would come to their rescue. What a shame!

El-Baradei seems to emerge as the new face of Egyptian leadership who is a “western agent” deployed in Egypt. This can be a great insult to the rebellion because it is the fight for their “rights” against the country’s dictators. The situation is dire.

While the world seems to be in complete chaos, many countries are busy trying to bring back their beloved nationals home. Apart from this, the world’s fastest growing economy and the great hub of global capitalism, China, has blocked all the coverage on Egyptian revolution. And, the world’s largest democracy seems to be plagued and entwined in a series of scams and crackdown on oil mafia. As the massive outcry for democracy and dignity intensifies in the Middle East, the world’s vibrant democracy keeps quiet, allowing the “made in America” dictators to trample upon people’s dreams. The world’s falling apart because of patronizing countries’ interference in developing countries’ affairs. This danger has to be averted by the developing countries because what is boon for the developed countries is a bane for developing countries. This happens through perilous yet ostensible policies of the so called developed countries.

Make-believe worlds

Here's my article that got published in The Hindu's Magazine today. This is the original link : http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article1108304.ece

Fourteen-year-old Shraddha (name changed on request) has participated in three reality shows. And all this juggling her school and rigorous dance training. “I balance my academics with dance practice. When I have shooting, obviously work load increases, but I make it a point to complete my homework,” she says.

For Neha (name changed on request), another 10-year-old participant of a reality dance show, it has been a hectic schedule of dance classes for the last two years. And it does not end there. “Our practice sessions begin at 6 a.m. and go on till 12 p.m. After a lunch break, we practise till 6 p.m.” “I do not think there is any stress involved. Everyone has to work hard to be on top and I encourage my daughter in every way,” adds her mother.

Huge toll

Children-based reality shows are burgeoning, encouraging them to participate and ‘exhibit' their talent to the world, and unknowingly taking a heavy toll on the young minds. Many schoolchildren are stuck in the daily grind of reality television production, shuttling between school and studios. Naga Raju Goud, creative director of ‘Gharshana' on MAA TV and ‘Dhee' on ETV, says, “Most of the participants hail from middle-class, lower-middle class and financially poor backgrounds. For some, the reality stage becomes a platform for their daily earnings.”

But, reality shows are often just a platform for diminutive gains. Savita Date Menon, a psychologist, feels a child's stress and anxiety levels are accentuated because the competition is in the public glare. The primary concern is to become “something” from “nothing”. The impact is not only on the participants but also on those children who watch the shows. They imitate the participants and think it is ‘ cool'. Such shows kill the excitement and zeal in children making them feel that there is nothing more left to achieve.

Last year, a 13-year-old girl committed suicide because her parents did not allow her to participate in a reality show. “After seeing themselves on screen, a few children are so tempted to retain their image in the public eye that they get diverted easily from their academics. The glitz and glamour attract children,” says, Jagadish P., a parent.

Parents' role

Parents play a critical role in this make-believe reality times. They should be the judge of their child's tolerance capacity rather than using them as a passport to fame. “Parents should first see if their wards can handle the physical and emotional challenges over a long period,” says Sonal Andrews, coordinator at a teacher's training institute.

“Children get hyper, panic and eventually the pressure increases. In such competitions, the one who wins is the one who has the skill and withstands the pressure from all sides. And in this scenario, if the parent provides a lot of negative influences in the growing stage, then the child can break easily,” says Menon.

Some reality shows stray from focusing on talent, and bring out negative emotions like jealousy, anger, depression in children. This compels them to get critical of each other's performances and look at everybody as a threat. For some, it can be a disaster and confuse their sense of identity. Breakdowns are common on the stage, especially when the stakes are high.

Rupak Ronaldson, associate creative head of ‘Gharshana', says “children do not understand the comments of the judges. Sometimes, parents have to be cautious enough to make them understand what is right and what is wrong.”

Negative emotions have a direct impact on children because their character is in the formative stages at that age. Such emotions will have a long lasting impact on the child. So, is all that money worth it? Easy money does come with a price.

As an Observer

Sitting in the shade of a pillar, which I'm unaware of why it is there in the first place, I hear shrill sounds of crows cawing and few other birds squeaking. A long shot of IIJNM is what I see. It stretches from the college auditorium to the faculty members' office. A fence painted in white defines the boundaries of IIJNM nearly 15 steps away from where I sit. The window of a faculty member's office is open, which makes me think I'm being watched.

A cold breeze blows, I can hear scooter speeding off on the road, the grass sways in the direction of the wind. A scuttling of a chameleon that camouflaged and disappeared into the green grass and ruffled leaves give the place a serene feel to it. A black dog peeps with its fractured leg from behind the pillar looks as if I'm invading its comfort zone, and then walks away.

A lot of green all around me is what I see. Trees, herbs, shrubs and green insects. This place can get quite creepy in the night with a lot of snakes around. Thirty steps from where I sit, a Gulmohar Tree stands tall with its red flowers adding colour to milieu. The broken or cut-down trunk of a tree makes me think of a man abandoned on an island looking for some help. I see a yellow butterfly approaching me, but drifts away from me and its wings glisten in the rays of the sun. Many concrete structures covered with asbestos and painted in white are a common sight between a lot of flora around. A bluish black bird flies in the sky all alone which makes me  love nature more.

As I sit in front of this pillar, I think and re-think about how it came into existence. The path that leads me here is like I'm being welcomed by "Mother Nature" to admire its beauty. As I walk, I see pink and white flowers  on the two sides the tiled floor. The brown tiles symbolize a red carpet.

(P.S. As I sit and observe, I realize that I'm being observed by many other people, animals and things.
I had fun observing different things which I'm amazed at and think how we tend to ignore observing the tiniest of the beautiful things around us which make life a lot better.)

Fasting Feasting

Politicians in our country i.e. "Humara Bharat" are on a fasting spree. Everyone wants to fight for a cause, go on a fast-unto-death (Though I never understood the concept behind this theory) Damn! The very concept of democracy which the Indian constitution is based on, justifies fasting, protests or any other form of expression under Article 19 which states the right to freedom of speech and expression, while clause (2) of the article has few limitations. (Let's not get into the law here)

In a democracy, every citizen has the right to express his or her views through different means (unless they are not a threat to the state or incite violence, etc). Fasting (in Indian politics) has been a tradition of the past that has crept into the present and still continues to be. 

Fasting for a separate state of Telangana was brought to the public domain by K. Chandrashekar Rao, (Mostly known as KCR in Andhra Pradesh), founder of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), a political party fighting for a separate state within Andhra Pradesh. Iron Sharmila is the best live example for anyone to know what fighting  for a cause means in India. She has been fighting for almost a decade now for the repeal of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) but is unheard. For almost ten years, she has been force-fed  through an IV line Similarly, many unheard voices go unnoticed in this country,

The purpose of writing this article is not to underestimate the whole concept of fast-unto-death or overestimate it. The point is that the "fasting syndrome" is not serving the purpose. 

For example: During the Telangana Bandhs in Hyderabad, many people who were in favour of a separate state were "fasting" by having bananas, snacks, soft drinks and sometimes, having had breakfast at home (early in the morning) and pretending to fast amidst the public's presence. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. were the timings decided by the members who were on a "fast". It was like a regular 9 to 5 job, with a few tea breaks and snacks time included in the fasting period or rather feasting time. To feast on so many things during fast became a trend. One member fought with the other on who would pay the bills for snacks, soft drinks and other food items purchased. For being a part of the "united fast" (throughout the state), women were given Rs.250 and a Biryani packet and men were given Rs. 150 with liquor and Biryani packet. 

KCR was made to drink lime juice during his fast while the media claimed he was "fasting" through an IV line. (Did you know: IV line is provided when a patient cannot take solid food and nutrients are provided through this line)

Another example: Recently, when I was covering an event in Bangalore, one of my colleagues told me that a group staged a protest against some accident that took place a day before the protest. Similarly, when I was asked to cover a BJP (bharatiya Janata Party) protest in Bangalore against fuel prices hike , I was contemplating on how to go about it.  But, when my friend and I got there to cover it, I heard nothing but the members of that party blaming the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government which is in power at the central level. I realized that it was absolutely NOT newsworthy. But, had to dig a story out of it and managed to do it.

The whole purpose of a cause is lost if people take to such despicable activities in ubiquity. Every corner, every street, every city is full of protests (not that it is wrong to protest) but, the reason for which the protest is staged becomes secondary in such cases. 

Therefore, one needs to be aware of the cause and fight for it (may be through fast or otherwise) rather than feasting on cakes, pastries, soft drinks during fasting.

(P.S. If you cannot fast ...have food and protest...No one is STOPPING you from having food)

"It is over-consumption related to over-population that matters"

With the population increasing rapidly in the world, one must be aware of the dangers associated with it. Some say: “the more the human resources the more is the productivity”. But, this notion doesn’t seem to work in today’s world. As the population increases, the demand for resources also eventually increases, which in turn increases the dependency of humans on various resources.

Overpopulation is not a myth, but, steps should be taken to control population.  As a result of controlling population, intra-uterine devices (IUD), Norplant (Sub dermal contraceptive), condoms for women and birth control pills or operation is done to sterilize men.

The population in India is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2040 (an increase of 500 million in 50 years)                                                 

Before stating any points on birth control methods, one needs to look at the causes for overpopulation. For example: If a developing country like India is considered in terms of population, there are many other factors which should be considered in order to study the population growth which has increased manifold times in the past few decades.

The factors which directly or indirectly affect the population are:

1.       Women and child health

2.       Poverty and hunger

3.       Environmental sustainability

4.       Education

5.       HIV and other diseases

Now, consider women and child health. Apart from looking at schemes like ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) which includes providing supplementary nutrition to mothers and children, vaccinations, mother’s meetings, pre and post-natal care and pre-school for children below six, infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR), child marriages, female infanticide, feticide, human trafficking and sex work also affect population.

According to a report by International centre for research on women (ICRW) India ranks 11^th in top 20 “hot spot” countries for child marriages in the world with 50 percent  of girls less than 18 being married. The present IMR in India is 52 deaths per 1000 live births and MMR is 230 according to WHO statistics. Human trafficking and abduction top the list of crimes committed in the country. According to Child Rights Trust, 50 percent of women between 15 to 49 years of age suffer from anemia in India.

Poverty and hunger has been a major problem in India. The gap between the poor and the rich is increasing day by day when it should happen the other way round. According to WHO report, 43.5 percent of children under five are underweight.  And, farmers who produce crops go hungrier and poorer day by day.

Environmental sustainability is a major challenge globally. But, in India, with many burgeoning industries trying to establish their base in our country, environmental damage has been happening. For example: SEZ’s was called as the National Land Loot Act by Aridham Chaudari (Source: Blood Billionaires, Scam Billionaires in The Sunday Indian). In places like Singur, Nandigram, Kalinga Nagar, etc. people have been promised rehabilitation and have been displaced from their lands which has converted them into ecological refugees from ecosystem people. Proper water and sanitation facilities are accessible only to a handful of people in our country.

Though Right to education (RTE) act is brought into force, many children lack access to good education from the very basic level.

 India tops the list in the world with highest number of HIV cases in the world. In fact, many diseases are caused because of sanitation, poverty and lack of proper health care systems.

Apart from these factors, we should also look at how China has been successful in implementing one-child policy as a drive to control population. Though India had a policy of hum do humare do in the 1970’s, it was largely criticized because of sterilization techniques which were proved fatal to many in the country.

In the film “Something like a war”, doctor speaks about the three lakh operations he did in 13 years. He makes it appear as if it is something very normal, but with hindsight, those operations did not benefit many women as they had side effects and had to suffer from many other diseases. Especially diseases related to hormonal imbalance in women.

As India and China are compared to each other in terms of population or development, when we consider population, India’s population is said to exceed that of China’s.  But in terms of development, India is far behind, violating basic human rights like right to water, food and proper sanitation. But China has managed to tackle these problems with proper planning and implementation of programs.  Also China’s research and development sector has 4000 people working under a single project in the sector while India has hardly 40 people working under one project in this sector.

In terms of technology, sustainability and economic development, China is far ahead of India. What one has to look at is not China or India’s technological advancement, but development with inclusive growth.

 According to Ramchandra Guha, development means "economic efficiency, social inclusion and environmental sustainability". Another definition he quoted was, "Minimization of suffering and maximization of welfare".

But this concept of development can be followed through proper implementation of programs/ schemes on birth control, educating people about family planning. In the process, many uneducated people who are unaware of safe birth control methods take to sterilization processes, contraceptive pills which adversely affect their health worsening their condition.

Though fertility rate has dropped in the past decade, the existing population has to be aware of family planning and birth control methods in order to spread the word to the coming generations. Also, the existent population should use the available finite resources very carefully in order to survive on this planet.

For Example: A woman in rural Ethiopia can have ten children and, in the unlikely event that those ten children all live to adulthood and have ten children of their own, the entire clan of more than a hundred will still be emitting less carbon dioxide than you or me.

(Source: http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2010/03/the-overpopulation-myth/ )

Like Fred Pearce says “The truth is that the population bomb is being defused round the world. But the consumption bomb is still primed and ever more dangerous. It is over-consumption related to over-population that matters”.

Nothing works!

This is my political reporting assignment. The topic which was given was "Reservations in private sector. Will it work?"
Now, before I copy paste my assignment from a word document, I want you to know that this is the most not-thought (if there exists a word like that), crappiest and unsatisfying assignment which I have ever done. For which I scored a 6 upon 10. Pretty decent. But, "how????" that's the question in my head. the material I read to do this assignment was totally opposite to what my opinion was, which made it more tough for me. This assignment was done in about 45 minutes, while other assignments took me minimum 3 hours or may be even 2 days.
Okay...Here it is....
____________________________________________

Reservations in private sector will not work. It has many arguments and crucial factors associated to it. First, private sector strives for quality of work and efficiency. Private sector is competitive and economy-driven.

“The private sector is defined in a manner so as to include not only employment but also commercial concerns, which enviably include transactions in various markets”

(Source: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W-qSAQgvl1oJ:www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/globalization/Narula-Paper-BookIntro.DOC+reservations+in+private+sector&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in&client=firefox-a)

According to Ambedkar, the real solution lies in removing the structural inequalities caused by past exclusion and isolation in more fundamental ways and suggested the policies of “structural equalization”. In his final solution, Ambedkar suggested dual remedies, firstly a set of policies relating to the safeguards against discrimination and secondly strategies to overcome deep rooted deprivation caused by historical exclusion and isolation of lower castes.

Among the several reasons, the absence of discrimination in recruitments and use of merit based policy in private sector are the main arguments against reservation in private sector by the corporate sector and others. With regard to this, the chief of Infosys, Mr. N.R. Narayan Murthy asks, "Are you going to have reservation in the Armed Forces?" (Source: http://www.rajputbrotherhood.com/knowledge-hub/essay/an-controversial-essay-on-the-politics-of-reservation-system.html)

Some of the suggestions mentioned by people from the private sector are: 

“The FICICI   which represent about 443 chambers, associations and member bodies suggested that three measures, and this  include  (a) definite medium and long term plan for  educational and skill development through Government and private partnership for SC/ST (b)  development of entrepreneurship with well define affirmative action policy  for financial institutions to supply capital to vulnerable groups for  setting up businesses (c)  awarding government licenses and contracts to SC and ST   and preference  to the SC/ST  in government procurement ( c) some  representation of the disadvantage  communities in private employment on an voluntary basic with substitutive incentives  to the firms following the preference in the forms of  tax-breaks.

(Source: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W-qSAQgvl1oJ:www.law.utoronto.ca/documents/globalization/Narula-Paper-BookIntro.DOC+reservations+in+private+sector&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in&client=firefox-a)

Has the private sector become the preserve of upper castes? remain a question in everyone’s minds.

“A study conducted by Carol Upadhya and AR Vasavi of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore, states that the IT “workforce is less heterogeneous than is commonly assumed, and that the large majority of IT professionals come from middle class, educated, urban backgrounds, and from the upper castes.” Of the 132 software engineers who were interviewed, 71 percent belonged to the upper castes. About half were Brahmins. Eighty-four percent of the respondents were from middle class families, while only 5 percent hailed from rural areas. (Source: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main25.asp?filename=Bu012007IT_sector.asp)

What one has to analyze here is why should/do we look at this from the perspective of caste? As we know that private sector is economy and merit-driven, caste takes a back seat in such circumstances. While recruiting, private firms or companies choose a person based on his or her merit, not considering his or her caste, which is very encouraging because at least then people do not bring in discrimination here. Even if a person belongs to a lower caste and has merit, he or she is recruited without considering his caste.

Considering the history of caste discrimination in Indian society, caste is undeniable in our country and therefore, we bring that issue in every aspect of our life which is not so appreciable but ingrained in our minds as an indelible scar.

 Most of the industries in private sector do not recognize the existence of discrimination of lower castes in employment in supply of capital, in education and other markets because they are dependent on quality.

But, there is another argument. Private sector is directly or indirectly associated with politicians and the way the government runs. Many bureaucrats in the private sector also control the economy of the country. Despite the existence of reservations in India, lot is controlled by bureaucrats including the economic policies and budget allocated for various sectors. 

For example: When the general budget is announced, most industries and companies in the private sector are benefited. Similarly, ICICI being a private bank was almost affected by recession, but it was not brought into public only because many top shots in the country had their accounts in that bank.

“Padmini Sharath Kumar, Polaris’ vice-president, corporate communication, said, “We don’t ever capture any information on caste in any of our HR processes. So, we would not have any data in this regard as far as Polaris is concerned.” Vivek Punekar, HCL’s vice-president, HR, said, “HCL is an equal opportunities employer. Our recruitment policy and procedures strongly prevent any discrimination. We do not maintain any data on caste distribution, simply because we have not felt the need to differentiate people” (Source: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main25.asp?filename=Bu012007IT_sector.asp)

Another criticism about private industry is that it is economy-driven. A good no. of companies from abroad establish their base in our country to expand their market. This in turn is dependent on our country’s economy too. Because, if private sector compromises on merit and efficiency accompanied by quality of work, many companies from outside India would never set their base in our country, which in turn would affect the economy of our country as a whole. Directly or indirectly, a significant percentage of our economy depends on the private sector. 

“However, some companies and industry spokespersons have acknowledged that the private sector must bear some responsibility for social justice and for creating greater opportunities for a wider section of the population, and the idea of evolving a voluntary affirmative action programme has found favour in some quarters” ” (Source: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main25.asp?filename=Bu012007IT_sector.asp)

“Reservation in the private sector could stoke hope and optimism. At its worst, it will be a placebo. A placebo is a medication that is made of an inert substance. Placebos are prescribed to provide mental relief. They are most useful in the treatment of economic disorders and ironies” Source: (Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/27/stories/2004082700211000.htm) 

Also, government itself plays a very major role in promoting the private sector and if reservations in private sector are introduced, then the whole purpose of the private sector s lost. 

Therefore, what matters in the private sector is “not where you come from or which caste you belong to, but how you perform.”

___________________________________________________

Cast out CASTE

This was an assignment given to us . It is in context with "India untouched" short film.

Question: Would you agree with the Hindustan Times headline that reads “Development overrides caste in Bihar battle”

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Development-overrides-caste-in-Bihar-battle/Article1-614166.aspx

Does development override caste in other parts of the country?

Substantiate your argument with examples from the film and recent news stories or experience.

My Opinion:  

In Bihar and in other parts of the country or in India as a whole, Caste is undeniable and it is a reality in India. I do not agree with the headline because it is the other way round. Caste is ingrained in Indian society. For example: Once a baby is born, he or she is termed as someone belonging to one particular caste, named according to the rituals followed in that caste and the caste tag follows him or her throughout his or her entire life including death.

Caste was based on the division of labour. But, in the film, “India Untouched”, the chief priest says that Brahmins evolved from God’s head, Kshatriyas from shoulders, Viashyas from knees and Shudras from foot. There is a contradiction to this in Mahabharatha,(as stated in Amartya Sen’s book “The Argumentative Indian”) when Bhirgu tells Bharadvaja that caste divisions relate to differences in physical attributes of different human beings , reflected on skin colour. Bharadvaja responds not only by pointing out to the considerable caste variations in skin colour within every caste, but also puts a more profound question: “We all seem to be affected by same kinds of emotions like anger, desire, sorrow, fear, worry, hunger and labour, how do we have caste differences then?” Also, the Bhavishya Purana says that “Since members of all the four castes are children of God, they all belong to the same caste”. Therefore, children of the same father cannot belong to different castes.

However developed we are as a nation, in terms of technology, economy or industries, caste overrides development.  For example: In the film, a doctor working at “Safdarjung Hospital” is not recognized as a potential for that profession and neglected by his higher officials only because he is from the Scheduled Caste. In his words, it is “hi-tech discrimination”. Another example: The Dalita Govindam program proposed by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) in Tirupathi for Dalits was one that caused lot of resentment among Dalits. A separate temple was constructed for them in Tirupathi and other religious ceremonies were performed separately for them.

When it comes to reservations, in the film, there were protests against reservations, but reservations are the only way to give the oppressed and the neglected, an opportunity to be recognized. But in a way “reservation perpetuates caste”.

The prevalence of caste system itself contradicts the very fundamental right in the Indian Constitution which is “right to equality”.

While considering development, it is very important to consider the economic status of different sections of the society which is “class”. In ‘The Argumentative Indian’, Amartya Sen states that there is a greater impact on lower-caste families if they happen to be poor and landless. “Even the violence associated with caste-related conflicts tends to involve a great deal more than just caste”. Caste and class are inter-related.

For example: ‘Reserved’ posts often go to relatively affluent members of disadvantaged groups.

Another example: In the film, an old man from Punjab talks about a dalit Sikh who tried to enter the room from the side where the non-dalits are supposed to enter and he was beaten up by an iron ladle on his head. Similarly, the honour killings and Khap Panchayats, inclusion of caste in census – these issues only worsen situations.

My experience: A Brahmin priest at my friend’s house did not drink water, when offered, only because they (their family) did not belong to Brahmin caste. But, for doing a religious ceremony at home, when the priest was given money, he accepted it.

This shows how caste discrimination still prevails in today’s society. Similarly, in the film, the people working in a leather factory say that “we, being dalits do menial jobs and the manager who collects money, checks finances is a Brahmin”.

“The whole concept against religious orthodoxy comes from socially disadvantaged groups because they questioned the existence of social divisions as well as barriers of disparate religions reflecting a profound attempt to deny the relevance of these artificial restrictions” (Source: The Argumentative Indian).

For example: If a (Hindu) dalit wants to convert into Christianity, he is termed as a dalit Christian even after conversion.

Thus, the whole concept of democracy is not justified when people in the society are denied fundamental rights on the basis of caste or class. And our country boasts of unity in diversity, but, social barriers like caste, class, colour only divide society into fragments but never unite it.

But, however developed or technologically advanced we are as a nation, caste is etched like an indelible scar in our minds that cannot be erased, it is not restricted to one particular religion, and has become “socially acceptable”.

 

The "V" speech

This is one of the best dialogues I've ever heard .It is from "V for Vendetta". Though it is an old movie, it can always be remembered.
________________________________________.

V : Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.

Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

V. : I’m quite sure they will say so.

"Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I know of no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…"

Dailies - And, yes.... I survived it!!

Believe it or not, I didn't know I was so horrified by the very idea of dailies (Publications come out at 6p.m. on the stories reported on that day....Its maddening!) unless I woke up at 2 a.m. last night and kept staring at my cellphone. I thought I would manage to remain quite chilled out until that incident happened. I didn't understand why that happened. But, yes. It did. This was what I was going to do in the future and I realized it late. Like, in the night when I freaked out.

I woke up at 5 a.m. to bathe and get ready (*considering the number of people in my room and I had to go to the event*). So, couldn't take risk of waking up later than 5.30 a.m. Because i was writing my magazine article last night, I couldn't do a research on the event I was assigned to attend to. (Though there wasn't any information available on the internet, I did a Google search on it). I came to the lab and checked the way to Kidwai Institute of Oncology because that was where the event was happening. I had no clue what the event was all about, who all will be present at the event.(except for Police commissioner being the chief guest).
Took an auto to the wrong place. Got to know the address through a motorcyclist when we stopped in the traffic. (foolish...I know). I took an auto rickshaw to Kidwai institute. Finally, we made it.

It wasn't easy. None of them at the institute knew about the seminar. Had a hard time finding if there was any seminar being held at all. finally, spoke to the Social welfare Officer and she told us about Children's day being celebrated at the children's ward at the institute. they were all cancer affected kids between the ages 0 to 14. During the event, I found "actual journalists" (because we are trainee journalists) doing no work at all. (not kidding) I was surprised. I thought they knew everything about it. But, all they did was to take the press release from the organizers of the event and have snacks. (No offense) But, that was what was happening, except for one TV journalist struggling to get everyone's byte or SOT (Sound on tape).

I'm not praising myself,but, I found myself probing many people - cancer patients (kids), their parents, Director and medical director of Cryo-Save (European stem cells bank), Social Welfare Officer, Head of Department of Children's ward, Police commissioner (Shankar Bidri) and other sources present at the event.

We were always told to report and get extra information than the obvious (in this case, more info on the event, except for the press release that was prepared a day before). I did my best to talk to every single person I found and thought was important for my report.

And, I realised that I did better than others (not boasting, but true). I was feeling good about covering an event that was chaotic, where finding sources of information was quite difficult because BIG people leave the place as soon as the event is done. But, I somehow managed.

After the event, I went to cafe coffee day, nearby and thanks to the ambience ( *Never felt so thankful*) because I was able to type out the event's report. 20 minutes 520 words (which was later edited by my sub-editor to 460 words)! BINGO! Never knew my pace was good until today. I was happy. not because of the pace at which I wrote my report but, got another story out of the event and wrote about 400 words there. So,  1 hour and almost both the stories done. Wow!!!

But, couldn't find a cyber cafe anywhere in the proximity to mail my story to my coordinator. Till 2 p.m. I was looking out for one. But, found none. thanks to my friend's net on Phone. And then, I sent my stories. Done.
Was relieved. And, at the end of the day, I did my best to survive this phase, though there was madness in the newsroom. I did it.

I realized that I like the dailies :) It is fun (only if your stories work). I was fortunate enough that way. And, yes, I SURVIVED IT. (*feels so better and this keeps me going for the next beat) :):)

Partial Parity

Note: Whatever I have written is very personal and is my opinion. Feel free to express yours.
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“We are professionals” says  my Professor. How professional are we? is a big question here. Keeping our hard news reporting aside however planned and unchangeable our schedules are, there is some sort of hierarchy that exists in this institution. I never felt the urge to write about it, until today. Bias exists everywhere. No matter however “PROFESSIONAL” the institution is or claims to be.

Favoritism /bias/partiality (whatever one calls it) towards a particular set of “pseudo intellectuals” always exists. And, these pseudo intellectuals always feel the necessity to be in “good terms” with the ones who are biased or partial towards them. Be it school, college/university or any institution, it is undeniable.

If we look at the very definition of it, it means favoring a person or group over another. It all begins by developing relationships, personal or professional. It could be a student-teacher relationship, mother/father-daughter/son relationship, and employee-manager/boss relationship, whatever the case is. For example: If we actually analyse this, this concept is something related to our psychology. It is like…things we like the most, people we like the most, anything you like, - this whole concept of liking itself brings in bias or favoritism at some point of time.  

And, that point of time is (as the definition says…) when there is more than one person or a group and you like/support/favour that group or person over the other, it creeps in. But, what one has to look at is, IS bias/partiality spoiling people from doing their work or doing good to them? (This is debatable too) because at the end of the day it is the individual who has to struggle to flourish, though partiality helps them to a certain extent.

For example: In Spain Philip III was enthroned in 1598 and duke of Lerma rose to power because of this concept of favoritism.

And, whenever my Professor says we are “PROFESSIONALS” and we are expected to be neutral and not biased about anything.  (Precisely, that is what my profession demands) I rethink. Only because when it comes to statements, people make them all the time. But, when it has to be applied to them, they do not FOLOW. So, the question here is, why make a statement, when you yourself do not follow it?