Friday 26 September 2008

Section 377

Looks like the Government of India has decided not to scrap the controversial section 377 of  the Indian Penal Code. 

It should be interesting to see the Government's argument to retain the law. Possibly the Government might argue that criminalizing this practice might reduce STD and AIDS in the society. Surprisingly the NGO's and other human rights organizations also quote the same reason for scrapping the law, along with the recogonition to these people in the society.

Irrespective of whether the law will increase HIV awareness and  prevent AIDS or not, the question here is whether is it  right to criminalize an induvidual based upon his\her sexual orientation ?

I dont feel it is OK to criminalize some one based upon their sexual orientation. Irrespective of whether it is against natural order, moral ethics or causing health issues, i dont think it is OK to brand them as criminals. 

Rather than defending the current law, the Government and Health Ministry can seriously think about scrapping the current law and enact new laws  to recogonize such practices and insist on monogamy among them. This might have a positive impact on their relationship as well as in the health issues of the society.

Saturday 20 September 2008

A Twist in the Tale

The view is not clear, looks distorted.. Not sure what day it is,infact not sure even what time of the day it is... The place seems to be familiar, but again not sure if i have been here before.. Walking around for a while.. No one seems to be around... looks like the place is deserted... 

Have a strange feeling that some one is watching me.. Not able to see any one around.. Am looking at something weird.. looks like a distorted figure... The image is not clear.. Looks like the image is watching me.. Seems like an evil spirit... 

Something seems wrong and I am running now, as the weird image gets closer. There is no place to hide around.. Am stilll running, the spirit is still chasing. 

At last, a place to hide... Got inside something that looks like a house.. But still feeling unsafe. Searching for something that can protect me from the evil spirit. Something struck..A Feel that reading mantras from a holy book might scare the evil and save me from it.. Am searching the house for a holy book...

Found atlast. The book thats going to protect me from the spirit.. Started reading it with hopes without looking if the evil is anywhere around..

Am still chanting the mantras from the book without looking around..Things around me seems to be fine now.. The place is calm and serene..

Hoping that everything is fine around, i raised my eyes from the book for the first time to see if the spirit is still there...

The ghost is there right in front of me... Right in front me, without looking at me...

Chicken skin all over my body  to see the Ghost's act  right in front of me

The Ghost is also chanting mantras from the same holy book that am chanting !!!!!!!!!!


Losing all hopes, I screamed aloud ....





....To wake up and realize that it is 11 in the morning  and with the chicken skin still on me..  :D




P.S. The crux of the above writing was a real dream my room mate had recently. I was fascinated with the little twist he had in the end, the ghost reading the same book that he was reading :D . 




Saturday 6 September 2008

Keep off the Grass

Karan Bajaj - an IIM-B grad comes up with an impressive debut work Keep of the Grass.A Fiction from another B school grad sounded like it might be something similar to Five point someone.Albeit the initial hostel day events reminded five point.., this book is quite absorbing. The story is about an American(born to Indian immigrants) Wall Street investment banker,Samrat, travelling to India to pursue management degree in one of India's top Business school as part of his search towards self realization and happiness. While the farangi's experinces of chasing grass in the streets of Banglore, sharing a joint with the Aghori's and selling shampoos to rural Indians are fictious, the Sarkar's ideologies  and Vinod Singh's principles adds pinch of philosophy to the fiction.

Karan,being an IIM grad shows a quite snapshot of the competitiveness and the trauma prevailing in the atmosphere of the top business schools.Its pathetic to see students giving in, unable to face peer competition in such institution. The farewell speech by the alumnus shows sense of reality.

A nice blend of fiction,reality and philosophy makes Keep of the Grass an interesting read.