Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The 'P' of Pain and Pleasure

Over the decades, much ink has been spilt over the discussions on the ruthless acts of sexual crime executed by men and the conditions of the sexually harassed women and children all over the world. But little has changed in the system of the society to provide a better security and protection for these victims of sexual violence. There are always innumerable amount of cases that we hear everyday of rape, human trafficking and ill-treatment of women and children. 
Marks of Pain 

What is even more pathetic is the way these victims are treated by the society around them. Most of the cases of sexual abuse do not see the day's light for the fear of going through an even more humiliating and emotionally abasing experience that follows because of the unwelcoming gestures from the people around them. Not many of us realize that salting the wound is much more of an ordeal than just being wounded. 
The society, which we are a part of, should change it's perception towards these victims,  understand them better and treat them with equal respect and dignity. 
Click here for a soul touching talk by Sunitha Krishnan who is fighting against human trafficking and sexual slavery and thereby helping thousands of those unfortunate victims who suffer the Pain that, on the other hand, gives Pleasure to the pitiless culprits of society.

Do your bit by just being aware and accepting! Simple ain't it?

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Welcome to Earth, Mr Adam and Ms Eve!

It is author John Gray who believes that 'Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus' and they both decided to choose Earth as their planet for committing their sins ;). OK, let me rephrase - for coming together, loving each other and (re-)producing their replica. 
Men and Women are two different beings altogether. They are biologically programmed to perceive things differently. For example, Man has a practical way of looking at things while women are so emotional. A kiss and caring words are all that a woman would need to feel happy and contented about life, while most men are very happy to just have a heavy bank balance [citation needed ;)]. Somehow, God's creation is amazing! Martians always want to believe that they are the most superior creation of God and wonder why Venusians are created the way they are. Whereas, the Venusians believe it's bcoz of them that superior creatures have come into existence, which makes them super-duper superior. Well, is it really about who is superior and who is not?
A peep into any married couple's life gives us enough indication that it's the basic differences between how a man and a woman think that begets opinionated quarrels and misunderstandings; and as a fact it's nobody's mistake. Though John Gray has made an effective attempt, through his work, to bring out the differences between men and women and ways by which they can be overcome, it would have been great if there was a similar attempt to bring out the commonalities between them.
Giving it a deep thought does help and for once let's forget the differences. At the end of the day, we are all humans. Unlike other species on earth, humans have a very special gift that comes straight from God - a well-developed brain that has the power to move mountains. An effective communication, understanding towards each other, giving each other space, respecting each other's opinions, accepting the differences - these are some things that stand common to both men and women. They are a lot simpler than moving mountains and they have nothing to do with Venus or Mars or their spatial distance from the sun; they are the traits of Earth (think!).
True, God has made us different. But it's all for good. Two souls cannot be soul-mates if both are practical or both are emotional. To lead a well-balanced life, a right mixture of practicality and emotional aspects is important. Therefore, God has distributed traits of success between men and women. It's up-to us, the specially gifted, to understand this better and harvest the best of traits in a relationship. Men and women need to complement each other rather than compare and find faults and differences.
We may be from different worlds - Mars, Venus or Anus. But once you choose to live on Earth, all that becomes important is how well you can understand your partner and accept him/her the way he/she is. Once this happens Earth becomes Heaven. And somebody rightly said - Marriages are made in Heaven. :)

Disclaimer: This article is not for those who think they are perfect and wish to change their partner, not for those who find faults in traits of the other gender. It's purely for those who think we can co-exist, respect and make a difference. ;)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

IPL - What a shame?

Even as I get set to pour my critical thoughts about the IPL matches, I hear a passionate crowd at Mumbai Cricket stadium supporting and cheering their favorites, like it is a Freedom Fight Movement, from the TV in the adjacent room.
What surprises me the most is the fact that people still do follow IPL even after getting to know the inside story. Its all about one genius trying to hit a jackpot by taking advantage of a long-standing passion of a majority of Indians. Though Lalit Modi's experiment with cricket was welcomed by Indians and by people across the world with open arms, it has failed to hold on to its credibility. Not only has it spoilt the true spirit of the game but also proven be more famous for being commercial. Well its more of a business than a game. Somehow, I prefer to refer to it as 'IPL' than 'Cricket'.
Ever since its inception every business tycoon has tried a hand at the IPL franchisee. The multiplexes are no exception to this, with more and more of them coming forward to show IPL matches (not to mention, there are also people who prefer big screens to empty their big pockets). This speaks a lot about how everyone in the business is trying to make money. As rightly said by a politician in a recent parliament discussion, IPL is a channel to legalize the black money that is stored in the swiss bank (look who is talking! Well, dont forget, only a cheat can recognize another cheat in the Game ;))
Glamor, easy money (in crores, mind you), bookies, match fixing, controversy - these are a few words that aptly describe the game. Oh! how could I forget 'Cheer leaders' (though I should admit that they are pretty and have great bod. If not the players the audience is definitely cheered up even if it's favorite team loses).
It's a pity that the world's best players are falling prey to it. There is such a huge loss of self-dignity that they no more have problems with being auctioned ( Just for a fact - Our dogs and cows are sold more respectfully). India, once known for its cricket lovers, will soon be known for Cricket controversies. Lets hope Kochi team is spared all the controversies. Lets leave the place to its coconut heritage, oops sorry cultural heritage and oil massages. :)
Well, dont miss the inside story about the controversy
here. Be a sport, sit back and enjoy how the controversy unfolds. After all why should the players only have all the fun? ;)