At close quarters

In a profession that I am in, strangely, one writes, rewrites hears about deaths almost every day. In fact, based on their numbers one decides what prominence is to be given to a story. Sadly, one has grown so used to the routine, that it hardly matters. But, seeing a death (I am referring to the neighbour's daughter I had written here about. Yes, she passed away a few days ago. May her soul RIP) at close quarters made me uneasy. As the father took the child wrapped in the pall, I broke down. I couldn't control my tears, though; I must confess that I wasn't very attached to the child.
This occurrence, strangely, made me feel good. The fact, that the human being inside me hasn't succumbed to the insensitivities of the profession made me feel great. Moroever, it made me realise that writing and presenting an 'event' which we are in no way linked to is easy, but facing a trauma, no matter how small it may be, on a personal level is difficult. And in a way, made me 'feel' for the sufferers of my stories more.

Manjiri

The racial bias

Two instances in less than 24 hours compelled me to sit down to write.
Incident 1: Packed train. Lady does not find place to sit. She gets bugged. Which is but natural. But then she says something which is outright offensive. 'You will give place to people only of our community.' The community she is referring to is the Muslim community.
Incident 2: Shah Rukh Khan gets detained for two hours at the US airport. Reason: His ‘surname’ pops up on the computer.
I personally get quite disturbed when such issues crop up. The very fact that an entire community is forced to remain apologetic just because few people from that community have been involved in terrorist activities is appalling. I am a Hindu and if I were to be discriminated against just because Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur has allegedly done something, I wouldn’t feel too good about it.
Now, let’s turn our attention to SRK issue. There are too many things entangled in it. A) US is bothered about the security of their people. (This is commendable) B) Their rules are same irrespective of your social status. (Hope India learns). C) They have a bias against one particular community owing to its past record.
Here is the cause of concern. An SRK can afford to have people like Vikram Chatwal to vouch for him, but a common Muslim can’t. (Does not mean, I am not sympathising with SRK. But, the issue larger than his ‘iconic status’ needs to be highlighted.) In which case, what is he supposed to do if his name ‘pops up’ on the computer screen. With all the technologies that US apparently has can they really compensate a human being for the humiliation he is subjected to as a part of this drill. Let me clarify, I am not against security checks per se either. They are required and should be carried out. But, the problem is with the suspicious eyes with which I may be viewed. If there is uniformity in the checks, I will more than stand for them.
When anyone is viewed with suspicion owing to lineage or your religion and not due to the criminal record, it primarily baffles the person concerned. After which, either one starts making an effort to hide the identity or revolts. This, in turn, could possibly create criminal minds.
Security, no doubt, has to be taken care of. But also what needs to be looked into is that innocent people don’t suffer because of it. A detention on the basis of a record of involvement in crime is required. But, detention just because one is born in a particular religion is condemnable. Coz being born in a religion is beyond one’s control. And so, one should never be penalised for it.

Manjiri

Miles to go

Have been terribly busy these days. Noteworthy things did occur. There were times when mentally I was taking notes and trying to register the events. But, as always, my memory failed me and despite earnest efforts couldn't reproduce what I intended to.
So. All in all squeezing out time was difficult. Though it is a lame excuse, that is how it is. Today, the minute I managed to find some time, I sat down to write.

As I write this post, Robert Frost's poem

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

goes on in my mind.

New beginnings always manage to arouse such feelings in me. At first, it begins with dejection then it goes on to confidence and then a will to succeed. Hope the new venture too reaches a positive culmination.

Manjiri

Being well-educated

As usual train travel, throws a gamut of lessons at you. Some which you are happy that you were acquainted to and some that you wish you hadn't ever heard about. But, what remains the best part about this sojourn is the fact that it raises several issues which are pertinent and gets you thinking.
An incident happened the other day where a lady tried to put the others down stating that she is 'well-educated'. She even went to the limit of stating that the others hailed from 'roadside'. These two terms do raise several questions.
One: Knowledge they say is actually meant to humble down. Simply, because owing to the knowledge you learn to look at the 'why' apart from the 'what'. Which in effect means you have a better understanding of the situation which you lacked as a kid. By asserting that you are 'well-educated' and that others are not, you are essentially challenging the purpose of being qualified.
Two: When you choose to state that you are better than the others, you need to know who and what the others are. In the given scenario, the lady was completely oblivious to us or our backgrounds for that matter. So, making such a statement proves to be nothing but an act of puerility as you can't just assume things.
Three: Knowledge basically inculcates a sense of discipline and respect for yourself and the others. When by the virtue of being 'knowledgeable' you fail to realise that, it just means that all the years that you invested in studying (if you were) were nothing but a waste of time.
Four: Most of all, knowledge is meant to make you more accommodating. If it teaches you become snooty and contemptuous and divisive, just chuck your degree out of the window now, because you have failed it on all counts.
There maybe various other points which may come up as we think over this argument. There may be some which may even overlap. But, what is important is that we need to start 'thinking' about it.

Manjiri

Thankless job

Two incidents, similar endings.

A lady gets into the train. Yours truly has managed to grab her window seat. With the earphones on and a book in hand, is trying hard to get lost into a world of her own, while still being a part of the so-called worldly affairs. At that juncture, a lady gets into the compartment. With a body language that could scare almost anybody and the expression on her face to match with it, she asks something to me. Earphones out. I, with my distracted self, concentrate on what she is saying. “Where will you get off?” is the question. I answer. Wake me up at "this" station. I say yes and try to carry on with my work. Conscious that I shouldn't miss her station, I wake her up, a station before her station. She gets up, stands at the door. Lets the cool breeze dash against her face and gets off.

A tiny tot, who is incidentally a hawker, gets into the compartment. Stares at someone eating the tiffin. Is offered the food. She has it. Is given water to drink and some more food to eat. The girl eats, drinks and leaves.

Regards,
Manjiri

Money matters

As a middle class person, you always tend to realise the importance of money more than anything else. You know what it is like to live without it and you know why it is so important to have it. But, what happens when the urge to earn money supersedes every other feeling. Not to be misconstrued, I am not against people who work hard to earn the money or dream big. The problem is when the means are wrong. The richness that you have earned is out of backstabbing, hurting, cheating someone. How do you justify that?
It's not about being judgmental. Every living being in his or her lifetime has the right to live the right way and pursue their dreams. At times, certain compromises are expected of them, which they are wiling to make. So far, so good. But the problem arises when in the drive to move ahead, people start making an effort to push others behind. That by any standard is not right. Simply because while you choose to move ahead, you have no right to decide that others should trail. Not to say, you should not move ahead. Only that you need not shove anyone behind. Coz, you too wouldn't be comfortable if someone tries to push you. Also, you don't have a right to cheat someone. Simply because no dream can ever rest on the efforts put in by someone else. You can beg, borrow, steal. But will that ever give you the satisfaction of having achieved it. Will it ever give you the peace of mind. Perhaps, something around which all of us revolve.
The reason for this thought crossing my mind is something that I saw at close quarters in recent past. Backstabbing in the meanest form. An effort to rob someone off their home. Yes, I say home, because that is what it is for the person in question. A home built out of the money earned in the lifetime. A home raised with the dreams of seeing your future generations live in the same house. All that was shattered in a minute. And all this was done by a blood relative.
It surprises, stuns and leaves me speechless.

Manjiri

Random thoughts

I have seen relationships crumble just like a pack of cards. I know how it feels when you don't talk to a person you really care a lot for. I know what it feels when you know the circumstances are not right and so are you.
But, there are times when the intention of the person is not right. The one who is wronged is your own and you don't know whether he is to be punished or no. Punishing him would be equivalent to punishing yourself as you will be equally pained in the process. You hope and pray that he realises that he is wrong. But, he is just too blind.
You are left with two choices. Either you give up or you fight. You go through a dilemma. There are several questions and answers raised within. Some which you don't have an answer to, some which you don't wish to find an answer to.
In such a situation, what does one do.

Note: This post cannot be understood without the context. The context is just too personal to be revealed.

Manjiri