The Mistaken Idols-1

Sometimes I pity the youngsters of this nation. Sometimes, I also regret having been one such teenager myself. I regret all those heated arguments and violent brawls I had with my brother over the issue of whose favorite actor is better.

He always batted for SRK and I rooted for Govinda. We wasted precious time and energy over 2 people, both undeserving of such high respect. Now I am not saying that the two gentlemen mentioned above are not to be respected, but putting them on a pedestal and worshipping them is ridiculous.

Anyway, I always believed that this was just a phase of growing up and like me, most people see the light by the time they finish college. But man, was I mistaken or what? Just a week on social media especially twitter exposed the harsh reality of the Indian youth.

Is this the youth Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi or Kejriwal are expecting to mobilize? Okay, scratch out Modi and RG from the above line because clearly, Modi is more concerned with feeding the youth with propaganda while RG wants to keep them in service of his surname and his family club aka Indian National Congress.

So is this the youth AK expects will take charge and change the fate of the nation?

The youth of India, who is ready to fight, abuse and rant incessantly for his/her cine idols. The youth who tries hard to adapt the mannerisms of his/her favorite cine icon, sacrificing their own personality. Seriously, just look at the whole Salman fans-SRK fans tweet wars.

These cine icons are good for entertainment and they do a fine job, but building temples for them, fasting for them, fighting for them is plain ludicrous. Let’s just see a few such icons in the light of truth, shall we?

SRK- Shahrukh Khan

A fine actor, king of romance and one of the biggest cine icons of last 2 decades. He talks a lot, shows idealism, promises to put the names of his co-actresses before his in movie credits (how that is going to help women empowerment is beyond me) and what not.

In all his interviews he comes across as a humble man of high principles but…one hefty cheque and he prances around on our TV screen pushing the fact that being ‘not fair’ is akin to a curse or something. He tells us that to be a chick magnet you ought to be snow white. Is such a person deserving of worship who openly promotes colour discrimination? Where is his idealism then? On a world tour, I guess. For a few dollars more, he makes millions put dollops of cream on their face so they can be ‘Fair and Handsome’.

What a classy fellow.

Vishal Dadlani

Music director, composer, rockstar and a grammar Nazi.

A twitter celeb and a youth icon. He breathes fire through his tweets, shouts at people to rise up, makes guest cameos at Arvind Kejriwal’s gathering. In short, he does everything right to earn praise of millions. But sadly, his hypocrisy is laid thread and bare the day court convicts Sanjay Dutt.

See the tweets below and make out the difference. Watch him mellow down and defend his buddy. Read, how his tweets go cold when law catches up on his bud.

In fact the whole Sanjay Dutt saga kind of exposed how Bollywood is a big family of hypocrites who think they are metahumans and not ordinary citizens like us. And that brings me to ‘The lady who cried’.

Smt. Jaya Bacchan.

She literally broke down in empathy for the poor girl who died in that horrific December 2012 rape case in Delhi. And yet, ironically, she keeps mum about the party she comes from. Is she not aware of the people her party fields in elections? Unlikely so and then she, who demanded strict punishment for the monsters involved in Bus gang rape case, goes on demanding leniency for Sanjay Dutt (A man lawfully punished by the supreme court of the nation, where she is one of the law maker herself).

Mrs. Bacchan would do well to visit this link for a dose of truth.

Women molesters and law makers 

There are many such hypocrites, not just in Bollywood, but also in sports, arts and such fields associated with glamour that if one sits down to write about them, he/she may end up writing a bulky novel. Hence, in order to keep this post short, I will cover the issue in parts.

Till then keep trying to see the truth, it is bitter but as they say:-

‘Truth always hurts’

 

I am a common man

I was born unknown, I live unheard,

I will die unnoticed by the world,

Since my birth, I have suffered in life,

My journey has been a saga of strife,

I dream of a feast when I haven’t eaten,

I live on earth in silence, sad and beaten,

I am one of the doomed millions,

I am just one of poor voiceless common men.

But, at last, the truth dawned on me,

My life is important, my life is worthy,

I am one of the strong millions on land,

The kings and rulers fear whose hand,

United we all can rule the world,

We, the uncommon common men.

A flower nipped in bud

Take a look around you, fellow countrymen. What do you see? I know you will see nothing because we all have become so used to not seeing the stuff that makes us uncomfortable. Our eyes notice the torture but our hearts just don't feel it, our ears hear their apathy but nothing triggers of those neurons. You can't see it still! I knew you will still not get it. Okay, I will tell you all.

Don't you see that poor kid working in your neighbor’s house; he is what i am talking about. And to pacify the so called women right activists I might as well add "she is what i am talking about". It is a common sight to see in our mahaan bharat. Kids working in inhuman conditions, packing lunch boxes for their master's son as they get ready for their school, wiping the floors as the pet dog runs across the hall, FREE. Washing a truckload of utensils as the trucks park outside the DHABBA (eatery) he/she works in. The society is full of them. 'So what?’ you may say, 'we can't do anything, it’s government's headache'.

Pity, we Indians have still not realized the meaning of democracy. It is the rule of people and that does not mean 'only voting'. We have the power, we select the government, we bring them down but what we don't realize is that we have the power to make them listen as well. Lawmakers know only how to formulate a law; it is us who have to ensure that it gets implemented. Let me ask you, how many of you have seen a child labor and complained to the authorities? Oh! Do I see a few hands? And how many of you have complained about your relatives or neighbors or friends or colleagues in this matter. Ah! Just as I thought, none. This is the problem. We will let the torture continue if it runs the harm of souring our relationship with someone and in our culture, where we live, we develop a relation with every tom, dick and harry around, so there is none left to rescue around us.

These children deprived of a proper childhood, proper education and proper upbringing are easy prey's to anti-social elements. These poor, tortured souls have no one to show them the path of righteousness. So are we, who turn a blind eye to the apathy of these little angels, not equally responsible for the rise in crime rate?

Think and ponder, are we not deserving of this rotten system? Are we at all playing a pro-active role in the democracy?

Don’t say "MERA BHARAT MAHAAN"
Say 'I will make "MERA BHARAT MAHAAN".

Stop being a chauvinist and accept the truth that we are what ail the system.

That is the truth....and the truth always hurts.

Should Gods go on strike??

Strike, strike, strike!! It is one word you hear more often in real life than in a baseball game. A word which brings entire life to a standstill, which can close an industry, can ensure you get to see rerun of your favorite program on TV.

So you did not get your pocket money, blame it on the strike at your father’s mill. You could not reach at your interview in time; blame it on the transportation strike. Your grandmother died for lack of medical care; blame it on the doctor’s strike.

Why? That is an oft repeated question by striking doctors.

All other professions go on a strike, then why such a hue and cry is made if doctors do it. After all isn’t it just another profession. We too have problems, we too need solutions. So what does it matter if we strike too?

Let me answer that for you.

Yes ours is a profession, but ours is not just another profession. It is one such elite one where a strike is always catastrophic. Can you imagine what will happen, if one fine day our military goes on a strike?

Scary, isn’t it?

In the same way, a strike in our profession means irrecoverable damage and it harms the very soul of our job. It harms, ‘The HUMANITY’.

Now let me tell you the basic reasons why doctors have become so much pro-strike.

1. To achieve quick solution from concerned authorities for our grievances.

2. In response to clashes with attendants of a patient on charges of negligence.

Let me say it bluntly. Strike is no solution to these problems.

Just tell me what exactly is the mistake of an elderly patient, suffering a heart attack, brought to a clamped shut emergency. Is he responsible in any way for the stupidity of a few medically illiterate people crying negligence?

The question then arises, what exactly must we do? What alternatives do we have?

While interacting with people on social media and especially to my uncle, who happens to be a top notch orthopedician, I have come to realize that the doctor-patient relations are at an all-time low. Because of our strikes and stuff like NRHM scam, doctors are fast losing their prestige in the eyes of those very people who once respected us as gods. The negative approach of media does not help either.

But coming back to the question, what do we do, if not strike? The solution is simple, TALK. Hold meetings with concerned authorities choose wise representatives put your problems in front of the administration in a civilized manner. If they still don’t pay heed, then selectively boycott them.

Talking can also save the weakened thread of doctor-patient relationship. Talk humbly to the attendants. I have myself seen some doctors talk shabbily to the attendants. Humbleness is one virtue every doctor must possess. If we are rude to the people, then there will be a backlash from them.

My uncle always says that patients are the biggest assets of a doctor. We have to invest in that. Building good rapport with our patients can ensure that they will vouch for us and support us in our issues.  After all patients are our trust banks.

Always remember, everybody needs a doctor and everybody avails our service more than a few times in their life. Every one of them will feel for us if and only if, we display the virtues of a good doctor. The onus is upon us to save the doctor-patient trust before it hits abyss.

Once again, let me sum up the problems with a strike by doctors

1. It results in avoidable suffering and death

2. It is a breach of implicit contract doctors have with patients

3. It is against our Hippocratic Oath

4. It amounts to holding to ransom a weak & vulnerable segment of population for material gain.

5. It shatters the image of doctors as selfless healers.

Remember, 2 wrongs never make a right. In case of any strike, don’t we cry ‘why me?’, then why is it justified when we do the same?

I know many will disagree with me on this but….

That is the Truth…and this truth not merely hurts, it kills.

A woman's greatest enemy is a woman

So they passed a new bill in the parliament. It is supposed to act as a deterrent for those who commit crimes against women. This much publicized and highly debated bill was prepared by the government in collaboration with the women NGOs. Sounds like a positive story, doesn’t it?

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! And thank you, you dumb idiots for believing that these people actually want to do something. For your knowledge, the women are still unsafe, nor will they ever be because this bill was specifically created with the sole intention of taking us citizens for a ride. Not one concrete step has been taken to address the root cause of the menace which makes us a misogynistic society. Instead we had a cornered misogynistic system in cahoots with these misandry consumed NGOs. A perfect recipe for disaster and disaster we were served with, indeed. Hence I have no qualms in saying ‘The greatest enemy of a woman is a woman’.

It explains why the so called high decibel feminist organizations did not push for long term measures and came up with stop-gap solutions. When the government was on the back-foot, instead of going for the jugular of this monster, why did these women rights activists aimed at clipping its toenails?

This problem of women oppression is not something that you can solve in days, weeks or even years. Let me tell you what I wanted these pseudo-activists to do.

1. The core of this inequality lies in our education system or the lack of it. Even after 6 decades of independence our literacy rate is poor, the whole primary education is aimed at seeing students get through class 5^th and it misses the ideal ingredient of moral education. What was needed was to push for education reforms with special emphasis on gender sensitization of these young, impressionable minds who are so used to seeing women oppression that most of them grow up molded by the same mindset that they witnessed as kids.

Off course, this is a long term measure and its effects will not be visible for decades, but when you are trying to change a society that has been framed in a misogynistic way since centuries, you have to start someday. This was the opportunity which was deliberately let go of by these NGOs. Instead of ensuring that the coming generations have empathy towards the plight of Indian women, they pushed for laws that instill fear in them. And fear can only breed hate.

2. Another issue that was needed to be addressed with urgency was the long overdue police reforms. Police system of India is in such a pathetic state that people fear police as much as criminals. The women are scared to approach police with complains against eve-teasers. Not much will change with the new law because that boogeyman of a police we have, remains.

3. The third issue needed to be tackled was the poor public transport system in nights especially. Had there been availability of public buses, the poor sister of ours would not have needed to step foot into that vehicle of death. Even today, if you are women and you get stuck in the city anywhere after 10 pm, you will be aware of the hardships faced.

These are a few of the basic problems that were needed to be addressed. But no, how can they ask for that. These NGOs do not care for women. After all if women are not victimized, how will there shops run. You don’t shut down your own business, do you?

Today, the bill stands passed. It is another shameful story that even then the esteemed parliamentarians did not deem it worthy enough to attend, discuss and vote. The government on the other hand breathes easy, the NGOs sit content in their offices waiting for next rape to happen and appear on TV again. The media is happy counting its TRP, that they generated by discussing the age of consent while ignoring the core issue. Sex sells for sure.

Meanwhile the khaps are busy in honour killings, the madrasas are busy issuing fatwas to keep women oppressed and the Hindu fanatics like bajrang dal are waiting anxiously for next Valentine’s Day. All this while girls and women are still being raped, wives are still being oppressed, girls are being molested and India breathes in shame. Oh! And the poor girl’s family still waits for justice in an open and shut case.

Women if you expect these NGOs to be your savior, nothing will change in this country for you. Rise up, get united and take what is yours or stay content with ‘all women’s bank’.

This is the truth and the truth always hurts.