There was a report in the papers about an ongoing war between the physio ‘doctors’, the medical ‘doctors’ and the government.
Apparently the physiotherapists have been riding high on the prefix ‘Dr’ and it mattered not in the least to them if the rest of the world accepted it or not.
This, of course has peeved the medical ‘doctors’-- the supreme sovereign in the realm of health.
The government backs the latter with the contention that the physios’ claim to the prefix would confuse the public as to who the real doctors are!!
But I say, hold your horses people,…… and take a minute to observe the pathos. Would it be a trifle too much if I point out that the ‘real’ doctors have been taken out of the equation?
In those ancient days the word ‘doctor’ was a reference to a very learned person who was held in high esteem for his knowledge. So we deduce that a man who burned a lot of midnight oil striving to understand, evaluate and analyse, in order to gain knowledge, was the original assignee for the word ‘doctor’.
The present day claimants ---such as the medical, ayurvedic, homeo, aroma, physio, energy, pranic ( have I left out any?)--- have plenty to prove before using the word !!
Some spend 4 and a half to 5 years, after school, to learn a trade and stake a claim on the prefix ‘dr’!! Some unabashedly claim after a mere 2-6 months diploma !
Common sense demands that the term doctor be best left to those ‘silent sufferers’ –the original doctors –the ones with a doctorate. What say you, folks? Simple logic, isn’t it?
The rest may best be referred by their trade name – physicians, medical practitioners or medical consultants or more specifically cardiologists, urologists, neonatologists ……and the rest as dentists, pathologists, physiotherapists, aroma therapists, ayur physicians, pranic or energy healers and so on and on…
One can never forget the way in which the simple white lab coat, that once signified perseverance and hardwork, has been reduced to a symbol of false prestige and inflated pride to be flaunted by all and sundry . Today the fact that the driver, the cook and the bakery man wears a white coat has helped to demystify it… a bit!
Please leave the prefix ‘Dr’ to the ones to whom it originally belongs . (Here I do not include the honorary types, heavily favored by favoritism, or, the ones who have acquired a degree through questionable means).
Otherwise we will have the charlatans and the quacks misusing the word and disrobing its glory.
Now we do not want that ….do we?
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
LOST WISH
Yet another birthday scurried past,
I was in no hurry -- time was!
Your muteness i had learned to accept,
I could've stayed younger-- had you called!
I was in no hurry -- time was!
Your muteness i had learned to accept,
I could've stayed younger-- had you called!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
MAYA
The best thing about writing blogs merely for pleasure, is that it does not promote forced writing.
Having abstained from my pet past time for a while, I felt the itch to blog again which is when I thought about something a friend once mentioned -- that what we experience in this life, or, what we perceive to be our experiences in this life, including the emotions that wade through us, is ‘ Maya’ !
I was informed that life is transient ( I have heard this before) and that life events are mere illusions (how I wish!!).
Maya, I believe, is for those few among us who have ‘evolved’ beyond the ordinary after a lifetime pursuit of unworldliness! To an ordinary mortal like me, this our pulsating existence is very real.
Let me explain with a parallel. Man evolved from apes but it would be foolish to say that the various facets of the apes’ life is illusionary merely because the comparatively less- evolved creatures failed to reach their full potential.
Our existence today is linked to the time when life first stirred on earth. We remain baffled by the ‘African Eve’; we respectfully acknowledge and study the lives of our caveman ancestors whose saga is not illusionary, but continues to illuminate our lives, millions of years later, albeit in a remote way.They were the super heroes( the original kind -without sound effects), who honed their instincts to leave an indelible impression on the human brain, who instilled in mankind the everlasting truth that brain power is superior to muscle power and that survival is the ultimate goal.
Every life, with its wealth of experience, is a page that will go down in the collective history of the universe. Each tombstone speaks a story with a moral for those who would care to listen; it does not represent an illusion- but is a symbol of grounded reality !
Belief in Maya prompted the mystics to probe life. The concept of Maya provides solace to escapists - to a logical mind the dynamics of this life are achingly real!
Having abstained from my pet past time for a while, I felt the itch to blog again which is when I thought about something a friend once mentioned -- that what we experience in this life, or, what we perceive to be our experiences in this life, including the emotions that wade through us, is ‘ Maya’ !
I was informed that life is transient ( I have heard this before) and that life events are mere illusions (how I wish!!).
Maya, I believe, is for those few among us who have ‘evolved’ beyond the ordinary after a lifetime pursuit of unworldliness! To an ordinary mortal like me, this our pulsating existence is very real.
Let me explain with a parallel. Man evolved from apes but it would be foolish to say that the various facets of the apes’ life is illusionary merely because the comparatively less- evolved creatures failed to reach their full potential.
Our existence today is linked to the time when life first stirred on earth. We remain baffled by the ‘African Eve’; we respectfully acknowledge and study the lives of our caveman ancestors whose saga is not illusionary, but continues to illuminate our lives, millions of years later, albeit in a remote way.They were the super heroes( the original kind -without sound effects), who honed their instincts to leave an indelible impression on the human brain, who instilled in mankind the everlasting truth that brain power is superior to muscle power and that survival is the ultimate goal.
Every life, with its wealth of experience, is a page that will go down in the collective history of the universe. Each tombstone speaks a story with a moral for those who would care to listen; it does not represent an illusion- but is a symbol of grounded reality !
Belief in Maya prompted the mystics to probe life. The concept of Maya provides solace to escapists - to a logical mind the dynamics of this life are achingly real!
Monday, July 20, 2009
An Ode to the Odd One
Like most people of my generation I too was saddened by the untimely demise of Michael Jackson .I belonged to an era when the defiance in MJ’s songs was endearing.
But when he metamorphosed regressively from a cute Black guy into a ghoul many of his admirers, including me, backed off ( If readers detect ridicule it is entirely evoked by the subject himself).
Of course MJ had issues possibly like no one else had. With a control freak for a father who was constantly jibing at his nose it was easy to understand why he channelized his angst onto this ridiculed anatomical component reducing it to a pint-sized triangle.
It was pretty much evident that Jackson was uncomfortable in his body- he perceived an ugliness that did not exist ( this condition is clinically referred to as Body Dismorphic Disorder).
There was no looking back once the surgeons began to steadily chip away……..now a chin implant, now new cheek bones, lip fillers another time, not to mention depigmentation of a kind never seen before. However, when the final picture emerged it was as if the local anatomy students were at work.
Michael Jackson’s lip stick shades would give his long- term friend Liz Taylor a run for her money. His saucer- shaped eyes and permanently tattooed eyeliner earned him the dubious distinction -–as Sashi Tharoor puts it- -of being ‘distinctly odd’. Now we know that Tharoor is a diplomat/politician, and odd is a gentle word.
I tried to obliterate MJ from my memory believing that ‘this too shall pass’…but the mystery continued to deepen.
MJ’s demise has actually taken the world on a tour of the dark alleys of the glamour world – perhaps not for the first time. It revealed yet again that the cries of misery cannot be silenced by the chimes of success.
Somebody referred to MJ as ‘low life’…now who is to judge how low is ‘low’ ? I am not equating him to the Dalai Lama but what I do know is that low lives do not impact the world the way MJ did--by breaking geographical and cultural barriers.
One question that remains is ‘what went wrong?’-was oddity in his genes or was it the ‘enviornment’ (courtesy his dad and his own debilitating diseases)?
He ‘fathered’ children without ever growing up himself.
Despite the ‘odds’ I cannot help but acknowledge the man-child and thank him silently for the magical moments he gave the world.
RIP MJ!
But when he metamorphosed regressively from a cute Black guy into a ghoul many of his admirers, including me, backed off ( If readers detect ridicule it is entirely evoked by the subject himself).
Of course MJ had issues possibly like no one else had. With a control freak for a father who was constantly jibing at his nose it was easy to understand why he channelized his angst onto this ridiculed anatomical component reducing it to a pint-sized triangle.
It was pretty much evident that Jackson was uncomfortable in his body- he perceived an ugliness that did not exist ( this condition is clinically referred to as Body Dismorphic Disorder).
There was no looking back once the surgeons began to steadily chip away……..now a chin implant, now new cheek bones, lip fillers another time, not to mention depigmentation of a kind never seen before. However, when the final picture emerged it was as if the local anatomy students were at work.
Michael Jackson’s lip stick shades would give his long- term friend Liz Taylor a run for her money. His saucer- shaped eyes and permanently tattooed eyeliner earned him the dubious distinction -–as Sashi Tharoor puts it- -of being ‘distinctly odd’. Now we know that Tharoor is a diplomat/politician, and odd is a gentle word.
I tried to obliterate MJ from my memory believing that ‘this too shall pass’…but the mystery continued to deepen.
MJ’s demise has actually taken the world on a tour of the dark alleys of the glamour world – perhaps not for the first time. It revealed yet again that the cries of misery cannot be silenced by the chimes of success.
Somebody referred to MJ as ‘low life’…now who is to judge how low is ‘low’ ? I am not equating him to the Dalai Lama but what I do know is that low lives do not impact the world the way MJ did--by breaking geographical and cultural barriers.
One question that remains is ‘what went wrong?’-was oddity in his genes or was it the ‘enviornment’ (courtesy his dad and his own debilitating diseases)?
He ‘fathered’ children without ever growing up himself.
Despite the ‘odds’ I cannot help but acknowledge the man-child and thank him silently for the magical moments he gave the world.
RIP MJ!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Curry Bashing, Down Under
Sometimes late in the evening when I return home it is the smell of my mother’s cooking that greets me at the stairway. The customary aroma of spices, expertly blended, has never ever failed to revive my dulled senses. What is life without the curry?
But to my profound horror, I realized that there are many across the globe who disagree—some mildly, some condescendingly, even as others were belligerent and mocking!
As Indian TV channels whipped up mass sympathy for the Indians who continue to be attacked in Oz, my thoughts went to my friend and family, in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.
After several hours of bleary-eyed TV gazing I decided to scan the net to get to the pit of the matter. What emerged left me disgusted and dazed.
It looks like the Curry has stirred up a storm world -wide leaving several ‘almost dead’ in its wake. It has been described by many in a ‘less-than- becoming’ manner, and has been accused of generating a race of ‘Smelly Indians’ who reek of spices that emanate from their pores!
As if that is not enough these smelly Indians, having favorably partaken of the Curry, exhibit disgusting habits that a decent blogger cannot list. One notably infuriating trait is the persistent hollering in their native Hindi, which is like ‘Mary calling the cattle home’! It goes without saying that their hygiene leaves much to be desired. All this thanks to the heat, the dust the grime and of course---the Curry!
Now if only they would resort to face -saving tactics such as washing themselves in a basin of water or aesthetically tissue-wipe their rears ((which is clearly a sign of the civilized)) they would be less smelly. If that is not possible, the least that these stinking Indians could do is to take a leaf out of the civilized world and drown their BO in dollops of deo !
If these things cannot be done they may take to eating rare steak soaked in blood (O yes… the best way sir!) or , like the far- east fellows, consume crawling reptiles for breakfast, lunch and dinner and snack on locusts for tea! They could follow the African model and eat buffalo or elephant meat --dehydrated and dried in the sanctity of the living room.
Instead what do they do? They concoct spices and stir a curry, the stench of which has the potential to bring OB Laden crawling out of his hiding hole! Vermins!
What do you think, my countrymen? Were we not a civilization long, long before the criminals set up home in Australia? Not many know that people in the southern tip of India were actually reading the Bible when the ancestors of these civilized curry bashers and dot busters were, possibly, swinging between trees!
Although it is no excuse for our de-glamorized image the world over, let us never forget that the uncivilized West de-civilized us, ruined us as a race and brought indignity and shame to our people. And the scars still remain! Regaining lost glory may be Herculean, but we need to try!
PS-By the way, the Aussies find our numbers overwhelming! Wonder why their number is dwindling? Perhaps the Curry could help!?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
THE ART OF MOVING ON
If there is a single phrase that can define the pulse of today’s upwardly mobile generation it is ‘move on’!
These words are often flung indiscriminately at folks who are duped by fraudsters or tricked into non-existent love, who receive pink slips or those bereaving a loved one’s loss.
It seems that the passion of the present times is to ‘move on’ …a quality that is believed to denote a higher emotional quotient (EQ)
Everyone is in a tearing hurry to give the past a shove and plunge into the future ;there is no time to mull over a slight or to bemoan a tragedy . This trend of fast - forwarding emotions is a sign of denial and decadence and helps to create a society that is insensitive to need -- where words such as ‘integrity’ is outdated.
But this carefully -crafted art of ‘moving on’ has several devout executioners who adopt it as an excuse to shrug off obligations or turn a blind eye towards a commitment.
The ease with which people ‘move on’ chills me to the marrow.
As for me I prefer to ‘evolve’…. to permit the winds of change to gently work on the past ….. there is no upheaval here but a slow transition, from one to another, necessitated by the forces that heal !
These words are often flung indiscriminately at folks who are duped by fraudsters or tricked into non-existent love, who receive pink slips or those bereaving a loved one’s loss.
It seems that the passion of the present times is to ‘move on’ …a quality that is believed to denote a higher emotional quotient (EQ)
Everyone is in a tearing hurry to give the past a shove and plunge into the future ;there is no time to mull over a slight or to bemoan a tragedy . This trend of fast - forwarding emotions is a sign of denial and decadence and helps to create a society that is insensitive to need -- where words such as ‘integrity’ is outdated.
But this carefully -crafted art of ‘moving on’ has several devout executioners who adopt it as an excuse to shrug off obligations or turn a blind eye towards a commitment.
The ease with which people ‘move on’ chills me to the marrow.
As for me I prefer to ‘evolve’…. to permit the winds of change to gently work on the past ….. there is no upheaval here but a slow transition, from one to another, necessitated by the forces that heal !
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Good Bye Jade!
Jade Goody has been in the news for all sorts of reasons but when she finally bowed out after her battle with cancer, she went without so much as a whimper.
Jade turned out to be quite a drama queen during the Big Brother show when her caustic tongue made many a visage to turn violet. Athough she was made to eat crow for being a bully she ‘kissed and made up’ with her nemesis Shilpa ‘Pappadom’ Shetty.
But by then we had got a glimpse of the real Jade- hissing and spiteful - who made a fool of herself by mocking a very cultured and sophisticated Shilpa simply because she came from another culture that Jade little understood .
There are a few things that the Jade Goody episode taught me —
# Your life may be a soap opera but it does not take long for the bubbles to burst.
#Spite is a virtue—public display of spite reveals the chinks in your armor .Such a display may initially win you enemies but once they know how honest you are with your expressions they will love you well enough to start a fan club.
# The more you wait for your turn with the ‘Grim Reaper’ the greater is the macabre drama that unfolds around you.
Whenwilljadegoodydie.com is a Holland -based website that encouraged people to predict the day and time of Goody’s death. This can only be more outlandish than Goody’s own efforts to romanticize and make a spectacle of her exit, for gain.
#’Never say die’- Jade’s fight with the big C reveals her true grit . She bared her fangs at death, withstood several surgeries and desperately tried everything to keep death away -- from trusting faith healers to eating curries!
And when she was sure that her end was round the corner she married her husband-in-waiting Jack Tweed, got christened and even planned her funeral in style……..Way to go ,lady!
Jade Goody’s greatest contribution was perhaps to the public health domain. Thanks to the ‘Jade Goody Effect’, screening for cervical cancer soared to an all time high in the UK. The humble Pap smear has come of age and has found its place in the annals of medical history! Cervical cancer, which is more or less lifestyle –related, can be easily treated and possibly cured if detected early. The recently discovered vaccine for cervical cancer comes as God -sent to all women!
At one time Jade Goody was welcome to my resent although she was of little consequence to my daily life. But as tragic scenes of this former reality star flashed on the TV screen a sense of remorse filled me as the fragility of my own existence was vehemently driven home. Goodbye Jade and thanks for those lessons!
Key words- Jade Goody, reality star, big brother, Shilpa Shetty, Pap smear, cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, Jack Tweed, Jade Goody Effect,
Jade turned out to be quite a drama queen during the Big Brother show when her caustic tongue made many a visage to turn violet. Athough she was made to eat crow for being a bully she ‘kissed and made up’ with her nemesis Shilpa ‘Pappadom’ Shetty.
But by then we had got a glimpse of the real Jade- hissing and spiteful - who made a fool of herself by mocking a very cultured and sophisticated Shilpa simply because she came from another culture that Jade little understood .
There are a few things that the Jade Goody episode taught me —
# Your life may be a soap opera but it does not take long for the bubbles to burst.
#Spite is a virtue—public display of spite reveals the chinks in your armor .Such a display may initially win you enemies but once they know how honest you are with your expressions they will love you well enough to start a fan club.
# The more you wait for your turn with the ‘Grim Reaper’ the greater is the macabre drama that unfolds around you.
Whenwilljadegoodydie.com is a Holland -based website that encouraged people to predict the day and time of Goody’s death. This can only be more outlandish than Goody’s own efforts to romanticize and make a spectacle of her exit, for gain.
#’Never say die’- Jade’s fight with the big C reveals her true grit . She bared her fangs at death, withstood several surgeries and desperately tried everything to keep death away -- from trusting faith healers to eating curries!
And when she was sure that her end was round the corner she married her husband-in-waiting Jack Tweed, got christened and even planned her funeral in style……..Way to go ,lady!
Jade Goody’s greatest contribution was perhaps to the public health domain. Thanks to the ‘Jade Goody Effect’, screening for cervical cancer soared to an all time high in the UK. The humble Pap smear has come of age and has found its place in the annals of medical history! Cervical cancer, which is more or less lifestyle –related, can be easily treated and possibly cured if detected early. The recently discovered vaccine for cervical cancer comes as God -sent to all women!
At one time Jade Goody was welcome to my resent although she was of little consequence to my daily life. But as tragic scenes of this former reality star flashed on the TV screen a sense of remorse filled me as the fragility of my own existence was vehemently driven home. Goodbye Jade and thanks for those lessons!
Key words- Jade Goody, reality star, big brother, Shilpa Shetty, Pap smear, cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, Jack Tweed, Jade Goody Effect,
Monday, March 16, 2009
Are gay men misogynists?
Recently I read that Elton John in all his English Correctness had referred to the Americans as ‘misogynists’ because they did not care about Hillary C in a way that they should be caring.
For a man who is a renowned gay he certainly knew how to speak his mind without being deterred by thoughts such as ‘how can I”? Whether the Americans are misogynists or not is a topic for another day!
In the past , when I was still waiting for my enlightenment, I had harbored this thought that gay men are misogynists or women haters…I mean if a guy cannot bear to make love to a woman ( which I, in all my ignorant asininity, thought to be the most natural thing in the world) then he has to be a misogynist----at least that’s what I thought!!
Years later feed backs from friends who happened to interact closely with a few ‘rear door entrants’ assured me that they were not women- haters….just that they cannot bear to have sex with women just as how sane women cannot bear to go to bed with opossums!!
But having watched the Hindi movie ‘Fashion’ I realized that men and women of different sexual preferences could co- exist in holy matrimony.
Allow me to illustrate-- If, for example Billuram had a long -term intimate relationship with young pappu he surely cannot marry pappu and shock his mother into a stupor from which she is unlikely to recover . So what does he do? He takes home a wife who already knows (she is among the exceptions) about his same- sex dalliance. She says ‘I do’ because she is a sweet girl who really likes him and also finds his money useful ! Believe me they lived happily ever after…. Billuram, his wife and young pappu! All’s well that ends well.
As I was saying gay men are no misogynists. Some of them even 'honor' women by marrying them!!
Take care!
For a man who is a renowned gay he certainly knew how to speak his mind without being deterred by thoughts such as ‘how can I”? Whether the Americans are misogynists or not is a topic for another day!
In the past , when I was still waiting for my enlightenment, I had harbored this thought that gay men are misogynists or women haters…I mean if a guy cannot bear to make love to a woman ( which I, in all my ignorant asininity, thought to be the most natural thing in the world) then he has to be a misogynist----at least that’s what I thought!!
Years later feed backs from friends who happened to interact closely with a few ‘rear door entrants’ assured me that they were not women- haters….just that they cannot bear to have sex with women just as how sane women cannot bear to go to bed with opossums!!
But having watched the Hindi movie ‘Fashion’ I realized that men and women of different sexual preferences could co- exist in holy matrimony.
Allow me to illustrate-- If, for example Billuram had a long -term intimate relationship with young pappu he surely cannot marry pappu and shock his mother into a stupor from which she is unlikely to recover . So what does he do? He takes home a wife who already knows (she is among the exceptions) about his same- sex dalliance. She says ‘I do’ because she is a sweet girl who really likes him and also finds his money useful ! Believe me they lived happily ever after…. Billuram, his wife and young pappu! All’s well that ends well.
As I was saying gay men are no misogynists. Some of them even 'honor' women by marrying them!!
Take care!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Belated Women’s Day Musings
Every year on March 8th the world wakes up to the International Women’s Day! On this day women are lauded, poetries are recited from specially- erected podiums , the various chores that women engage in are proudly listed and their ability to juggle tasks ( as if they had a choice!) is vehemently applauded —-overall a woman's ability to sally forth in this mad, bad world, without losing her marbles, receives a patting on the back.
But on the very next day the podiums are dismantled, the curtains are drawn, the act is over and the world goes back to doing what it has been doing since the Great Ape metamorphosed into man----Woman Bashing!
It took almost a week after Women’s Day for me to wake up from the inertia that consumes me from time to time. The world refers to my ‘reverie’ as sulking but to me it is quality time, spent in getting a grip on the self.
On Women’s Day I received salutations (for being a women ,I guess) - mostly in the form of text messages and e-mails. One respect-dripping , awe-filled message came from a male acquaintance who loves to relax by watching live, nude women dance for a living !
However, it did strike me that most of the messages were from women friends( the decently married and ‘happily’ settled variety )who were perhaps making a feeble attempt at rising from the ashes and keeping the flame of dignity alive. Their joy at being a woman, if present, was not palpable. It was a mere rhetoric being conveyed from one to another……like a candle march without a flame!
As for me….I am pretty glad I am a woman. To think that my blueprint could have been encrypted otherwise scares me blue! To me this is , perhaps, a time to muse on a few friends in the company of whom I have spent some of the most cherished moments of my life. This post is just a ‘thank you’ note--- to you girls--- for the bonding that we share and for perfectly accepting this imperfect ‘me’!
But on the very next day the podiums are dismantled, the curtains are drawn, the act is over and the world goes back to doing what it has been doing since the Great Ape metamorphosed into man----Woman Bashing!
It took almost a week after Women’s Day for me to wake up from the inertia that consumes me from time to time. The world refers to my ‘reverie’ as sulking but to me it is quality time, spent in getting a grip on the self.
On Women’s Day I received salutations (for being a women ,I guess) - mostly in the form of text messages and e-mails. One respect-dripping , awe-filled message came from a male acquaintance who loves to relax by watching live, nude women dance for a living !
However, it did strike me that most of the messages were from women friends( the decently married and ‘happily’ settled variety )who were perhaps making a feeble attempt at rising from the ashes and keeping the flame of dignity alive. Their joy at being a woman, if present, was not palpable. It was a mere rhetoric being conveyed from one to another……like a candle march without a flame!
As for me….I am pretty glad I am a woman. To think that my blueprint could have been encrypted otherwise scares me blue! To me this is , perhaps, a time to muse on a few friends in the company of whom I have spent some of the most cherished moments of my life. This post is just a ‘thank you’ note--- to you girls--- for the bonding that we share and for perfectly accepting this imperfect ‘me’!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Terror, Terror Everywhere!
The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan got me worrying. It exposed a new face of terror unseen until now and it left me wondering as to how long it was until it foraged through the frontiers of our peace- loving Chennai!
Srilanka and Pakistan have a political affinity that dates back to several years. Nevertheless it is difficult to understand what prompted SL to indulge in this ‘dare’ of sending their team to visit Pakistan when England and India have categorically refused and, when several other cricketing nations were wondering why they should also not refuse! After all the situation in Pakistan is so volatile that it could put Mt. Vesuvius to shame!!
The politically -motivated move proved too costly for the SL cricketers who, by a strange twist of providence, managed to escape in one piece. But they are a shattered lot, despite the absence of grave injuries, and it will be awhile before they recuperate and talk/play cricket. It is a possibility that some in the team would suffer from ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ a condition that has the ability to impact the victim both physically and psychologically.
The attack has left India struggling to come to terms with the situation. Words of bravado and right-on –the –face bureaucratic exchanges cannot replace whole- hearted measures to counter terror at our doorstep.
The terror attack has brought the game to a grinding halt in Pakistan .But the saga continues unabated on various TV channels. On the day the cricketers were attacked some channels repeatedly showed terror footages all through the day…..an action that would depress even the most cheerful among viewers. I wonder why these channels use the same method that is used in the terror camps…..brain washing!
As a nation whose people collectively suffer from amnesia in general, and indifference –prompted complacence in particular, and whose limpid expressions of protests revolve around pink ‘chaddis’, this is perhaps the only way to ensure that we don’t forget what could be in store!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
SMILE PINKI SMILE
Hi !
I have been wanting to start my own blog for a long, long time and finally I have done it!
There were lot of events that unfolded which gave me the itch to put pen to paper. First there was the Mangalore pub incident…… but so much has been said, written and done (or not done) about it that I prefer to write about the ‘Oscars’!
I have not seen most of the films that gained entry into the Oscars, but, like many curious fellow Indians, I too saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. No wonder they say curiosity kills! It killed any future curiosity that I might have developed over an ‘Indian’ film made by anyone beyond the Indus! Now that we know what they think about us, why bother? And, like everyone else who saw SDM I too have an opinion about the film …..
The film has won the Oscars for reasons beyond layman comprehension. But it must be said that it helped to reinstate the clichéd portrayal of India. I have had friends, in the Uk, who told me that they had the misfortune to watch ‘Slumdog’ with fellow audiences who generated noises reflecting dismay, disgust or disapproval in turns! Apparently, there was one man, among the movie-watchers, who even declared that he would never ever want to visit India! So much for Danny Boyle’s Oscar speech of dedicating the Oscar to Mumbai! But thanks to Boyle there is a mad rush, among foreign tourists of course, to imbibe the essence of the slums in Daravi, in Mumbai, where the film was shot!
‘Slumdog’ pretends to have exposed the grotesque underbelly of the most -happening nation in the world today ……..and guess what ? they have actually won an Oscar for it!! Earlier India was , in the eyes of the West, the land of snake charmers, pot -bellied children with runny noses, Gandhi, slums, yoga and the Himalayas! Now, defunct toilets, beggar mafia and Hindu-Muslim riots have been added to the dismal list!
Of course , the fact that A R Rahman, the ‘Mozart of Madras’, competed with some of the World’s best to win the Oscar is a cause for celebration!
Meanwhile, basking quietly in the spotlight of new-found glory was the India-based, true life documentary film ‘Smile Pinki’, which won an Oscar in the short film category. The protagonist of the film, Pinki Sonkar, whose life transformed magically from being an outcast with a cleft lip to a sought after child, symbolizes hope in futuristic India.
The charitable organization, ‘The Smile Train’, which has brought smiles on the faces of thousands of poor Indian children suffering from a cleft lip or a cleft palate has vowed to wipe out the deformity from India.
As long as the smile train keeps chugging there is reason for children like Pinki to smile.
Good going Pinky! And keep smiling!
I have been wanting to start my own blog for a long, long time and finally I have done it!
There were lot of events that unfolded which gave me the itch to put pen to paper. First there was the Mangalore pub incident…… but so much has been said, written and done (or not done) about it that I prefer to write about the ‘Oscars’!
I have not seen most of the films that gained entry into the Oscars, but, like many curious fellow Indians, I too saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. No wonder they say curiosity kills! It killed any future curiosity that I might have developed over an ‘Indian’ film made by anyone beyond the Indus! Now that we know what they think about us, why bother? And, like everyone else who saw SDM I too have an opinion about the film …..
The film has won the Oscars for reasons beyond layman comprehension. But it must be said that it helped to reinstate the clichéd portrayal of India. I have had friends, in the Uk, who told me that they had the misfortune to watch ‘Slumdog’ with fellow audiences who generated noises reflecting dismay, disgust or disapproval in turns! Apparently, there was one man, among the movie-watchers, who even declared that he would never ever want to visit India! So much for Danny Boyle’s Oscar speech of dedicating the Oscar to Mumbai! But thanks to Boyle there is a mad rush, among foreign tourists of course, to imbibe the essence of the slums in Daravi, in Mumbai, where the film was shot!
‘Slumdog’ pretends to have exposed the grotesque underbelly of the most -happening nation in the world today ……..and guess what ? they have actually won an Oscar for it!! Earlier India was , in the eyes of the West, the land of snake charmers, pot -bellied children with runny noses, Gandhi, slums, yoga and the Himalayas! Now, defunct toilets, beggar mafia and Hindu-Muslim riots have been added to the dismal list!
Of course , the fact that A R Rahman, the ‘Mozart of Madras’, competed with some of the World’s best to win the Oscar is a cause for celebration!
Meanwhile, basking quietly in the spotlight of new-found glory was the India-based, true life documentary film ‘Smile Pinki’, which won an Oscar in the short film category. The protagonist of the film, Pinki Sonkar, whose life transformed magically from being an outcast with a cleft lip to a sought after child, symbolizes hope in futuristic India.
The charitable organization, ‘The Smile Train’, which has brought smiles on the faces of thousands of poor Indian children suffering from a cleft lip or a cleft palate has vowed to wipe out the deformity from India.
As long as the smile train keeps chugging there is reason for children like Pinki to smile.
Good going Pinky! And keep smiling!
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