Oh racist – we are!

Ever since the monkey episode happened one fine day on the Sydney cricket field, there have been several debates and discussions on whether at all we Indians are racists. Initially there was hue and cry on how we have been wronged and we need to give the Aussies back in the same manner. Slowly as the matter started settling down, there was some introspection about whether at all we are really racists at heart.

For me, there is no doubt in my mind that we are racists and are struggling to get over the firang hangover! See the matrimonial advertisements for instance. Have u ever come across an ad that doesn’t mention the word fair, beautiful? Aren’t our idiot boxes filled with fairness cream ads? how many times have we (I mean girls) been told to carry an umbrella on a harsh sunny day so as to avoid a tan?! Why aren’t boys ever asked to carry an umbrella on a sunny day?!!! I always wonder! Are any of our movie heroines dark and dusky? How many pregnant women have been given saffron (the wonder spice that is supposed to bring about ‘fair’ babies) mixed in their milk?

The list is endless. I have come across very few men and women who have moved beyond this and have looked at the inner beauty of people. For a lot of people I guess there is no time and inclination to see what’s hidden beneath the skin.

Oh! This pseudo world!

Few days back I happened to go a mall nearby with my daughter. Just as we were stepping out of the mall with several shopping bags, I noticed that a lady security guard was stopping three young boys (must be in their late teens), shabbily dressed but keen to get into the mall to probably to get a dekho of the glitter and the glamour. They were pleading to get into the mall to just roam around and she outright refused them permission. All individuals entering a mall have to go thru the metal detector these days and have to open their bags as well for security reasons. If these boys (from their appearance it looked like they were from a economically and socially poor background) passed these tests and were going ahead, why weren’t they allowed to go in? What threat did they pose when they were not carrying anything? Didn’t they have the right to do some harmless window shopping? Or was it their fault that they weren’t showing off a Prada or a Gucci or one of those obnoxious brands? Why are there different set of rules for different strata of people?


But for the numerous shopping bags that was becoming unmanageable and a toddler who was running away from my gaze, I would have come up to fight this case. The saddest part of this experience is that there are very few people who want to take up such a cause, they would rather be mute spectators, not get their hands dirty and have such ‘entertainment’ for their outing.

Wake up people!

Began with a bang...

Welcomed the New Year rather quietly this time.......it was a welcome change as generally we tend to party and bring in the New Year it more a spiritual experience this time!

The best part of the new beginning was (apart from the resolutions, which I will those later) that we watched Taare Zameen Par on the first day of this year! What a movie! Loved every bit of it! A must watch for all parents and teachers…it takes guts to make such a debut movie…only a sensitive and a socially responsible person could make a movie like this….the child artist is a great find! Those who haven’t seen the movie as yet….please go right away….and what hit me the most when I saw the movie….the example of Solomon islands …those who have seen the movie will know what I am referring to! After a long time I cried buckets and buckets in a movie!

Aamir Khan I salute thee!

This week I happened to watch another lovely movie….a tamil one after a really long time. ‘Mozhi’.....simple story line, lovely screenplay and dialogues, brilliant songs and music. Loved the positive angle of dealing with a physically challenged person in this movie. I am glad I waited this long to watch a nice tamil movie…

The year has begun well and I hope I continue to see more such movies….

Happy new year all of you!

I am Back!

There seems to be a pattern to this hibernation….whenever I feel low it looks like I don’t like to get to cyber space and whenever things seem to be looking up I tend to get back here…....hope I stay here longer this time around!