Happy Women's Day

Today is International Women’s Day. I wished my friends and acquaintances. Some replied back, some didn’t. Some men and women alike don’t even pay any heed to this day. They say it’s a farce. Well, to each his own.

However, I would also like to put the record straight that Women’s Day isn’t a gimmick that’s started by some greeting card company to sell their cards. It’s real. It is acknowledgement and celebration of the Women who fought for their rights. Women were denied the basic right to vote. Some women had the courage to stand upto the self-righteous governors of this Patriarchal world. They won. Women could vote. We celebrate this day for their victory. For every battle that women have to fight daily to prove to be equals.

I have been blessed to be born in a family where the man and woman divide was not so pronounced. It was there nonetheless. Though I would not call it oppression. But I was always reminded that I was a ‘Girl’ and my brother was a ‘Boy’, and that’s why he could do some things and I couldn’t. Through the years the divide was narrowed. Today I and my brother are looked upon as individuals.

Having said that, this gender inequality is prevalent in our society and country. It is not limited to India alone but also exists in other patriarchal societies.  Having lived in Africa for a while, I have heard horror stories of the way women are treated.  Women have been oppressed for centuries, world across. Not being treated as equals is one point, atrocities against this gender takes it to another level altogether. But why?

Women are a pillar of strength, but that doesn’t imply that we be barraged with abomination. The Hindu text gives Women a place as the extreme power (Shakti) and yet men suppress women. They want them to mould in punctilious roles with no individual identities.

I advocate Women’s rights. It’s not the right to wear what I want or drink what I want or go where I want to. It’s the right to ‘Be’. To be me, as I am.

Basic Education for all

New Series by me

I am working on a new series of paintings. I have decided the donate 20% of the proceeds to an NGO of my choice. Currently, I am working on finding a way to make this auction viable online either host it on my website (which can be tedious task for a one time exercise), or make it available on my FB fan page (http://www.facebook.com/srushtimrao) or use a third party auctioning website for this particular exercise. There is so much push and pull to make this possible.

I have always believed in giving back to the society in whatever way I can. I have associated with many NGOs intermittently, if not time, I have contributed money. I have also tried to be a good citizen by adhering to my basic civic duties.

"Basic Education for all" is one of the issues that has been foremost in my mind. Although there are a myriad of issues within the society that can be addressed like atrocities towards women, children and animals etc. I believe that education will help solve a majority of these issues as most of the social issues arise from the lack of education. Literacy being a different expanse altogether. By basic education people are taught many things alongside reading and writing. One is taught self-respect, from that originates respect for others, starting from family and eventually extending to other elements like society, animals, country.

People who are from privileged families take education for granted, including me (at times I feel appalled at people lacking basic civic sense). However, it is a constant battle for the underprivileged to get even basic education. Probably people who have grown up on the streets and are now adults are beyond any scope of persuasion; nonetheless, their children can be educated and can have a hope for a better life. This is the force that drives me to believe in educating children.

Here is my small drop in the large ocean that needs to be created to encompass the huge need of education system and organizations that can support the under-privileged for education. It will not only benefit the needy furthermore benefit every individual and the society as a whole. Lowering crime rate, increasing sanguine individuals. It will eventually impact the country’s many growth hurdles, will help out balance population, and help permeate positivity amongst people.

Amen to the right of Basic Education for everyone!!!

Client Vs. Vendor

I am a client now. Yes, for the last two years that I have been with this company my Job Profile conveniently puts me in the clients position.  But my company is a vendor for its clients and that’s how my company makes money.

I have been in the Business Development profession prior to this, long enough to understand how it is to sell and not only sell but take rebuttal if the customer is not content. We are all customers and vendors at the same time in life. My clients may be the employees and the top management for whom I strive to deliver the best possible solution.

It’s despairing to see some people derive pleasure at oppressing vendors. They have pure disdain for them, for reasons best know to these ‘clients’. Yes, I as a client will appreciate timely and quality delivery. Yet, I would also appreciate genuine impediments. However, just delaying payments or refusing to acknowledge good work because someone is a ‘vendor’ is appalling. This only in-turn puts the vendors off such clients and they would never get a vendor who would work with them for the sheer pleasure.

May such a ‘client’s’ soul rest in peace.

India - CWG Tragedy!!!

Barcelona Olympics were held in Summer of 1992 and as a kid I always wondered when would such a spectacular event be held in my home country. When would India get the honour of hosting some International sports event where we could welcome foreign sports-persons, tourists and delegates. Show them our rich culture and heritage, our hospitality. As the years passed and I grew up the reality of India struck and any such thoughts were negated in the head itself.

Then came along a sweet surprise when I came to know the India is hosting the Common Wealth Games in 2010. Cool! Isn’t it. My country finally gets to host a major event. And then it happened… one by one news of corruption and incompetence started flowing in. A toilet paper roll for INR 4139??? You got to be nuts to sanction that, or you got to be neck deep in the corruption crap. And as all of us know that the later is true. Mr. Kalmadi (the great) had the nerve of saying that he doesn’t have to time to scrutinize such trivial matters and that he has people who do the scrutiny for him. Tell me Mr. Kalmadi, do you keep throwing your signatures around without looking at what you are signing? There was such a big hue and cry about the inappropriate expenditure for the inventory, despite which Mr Kalmadi and team were cleared by the Government. Hmmm. As citizens we couldn’t do much but look at the drama unfold from a distance.

Now we know that these hardcore thieves in bureaucratic positions earned money. By corruption and in appropriation of funds. Although in any other developed country these men would have been taken to the dogs; we left them to further complete the task in hand.

News of incomplete projects started trickling in. I mean, guys u earned your loot, at least complete the work in hand. But no. None of the residential buildings are complete yet. Those which are complete are not in livable condition at all. The stadium bridges, sports facilities are not done completely. The emergency services are not in order. The security is in a pitiful condition as well. Citizens living in the city where the games will be held have not been given cultural sensitivity training or taught civic sense. These activities that fall under various governmental organisations failed to perform as well. 

There are so many problems in the complete organization of the games, the way they have been handled and the way things look today. I wonder if India as a country was ready to take on the responsibility of hosting an event of this stature. I personally believe had the games been outsourced to some corporate group for execution, we would have done much better.

Politicians and bureaucrats never leave an opportunity to earn money in India. I wonder if greed is really so big that it makes you forget your core role and responsibility as a leader. Do Indians take things so very lightly. Can these men who are associated with so much corruption and inadequacy sleep at night.

The whole CWG controversy has left a very bad name for our country on the global platform. Is our country so inept at organizing a sports event? We are aiming at competing with the world powers and becoming an Economic force to reckon with, but are our leaders doing justice to all hard work put in by us on individual levels as citizens. I am not happy the way my tax money is being stolen from right under my nose. The CWG is a classic example of it. I work long hours a day of hard labour to earn this money, and I give the government their piece from my cake. Forget basic amenities like roads, water and emergency services, these politicians screw my country’s name at a global platform as well. As an Indian I don’t know what to do. Should I too flee the country like most of my friends have done and settle abroad for a better quality of life and peace of mind. Or stay put and fight it through… But how?

The only Common Wealth I see in this whole episode is that earned by Mr. Kalmadi, Delhi Government, Worthless politicians, Vendors and their associates...

Indian Education Revolution...

Some colleagues at work were discussing the new marks system in Indian schools. They were discussing how bad it has become and how poorly their kids would react to it. After digging in some more I realized that the new education system states that the kids would be evaluated on a 30-70 percent ratio. Here 30% marks will come from the terminal written examinations/tests and the remaining 70% will be given to comprehension, oral recitation, behavior, reaction, participation, co-curricular activities and sports combined.

I personally felt that the Indian evaluation system in schools has finally come to terms with the changing environment and is engaging students in activities which would teach them about handling real life situations rather than making them book worms.

Having said that, coming back to this discussion that I was a mute participant in colleagues seemed to be very upset with this change in evaluation. Their main concern was. If they are not writing exams what are they learning at school… I was really surprised that these guys would be upset at such a positive change. I mean they were upset because now their children don’t have to mug up books and write them as it is… Oh! C’mon. Don’t you understand that Indian education is breaking the stereotype of letting only the children capable of photocopying books earn marks and giving the more intelligent yet not able to memorize and write students an opportunity to get more marks. Don’t these parents understand that just maybe their kids will be better equipped to face the world and tackle real life situations. They will not throw garbage on the road and will be more empathetic towards others. They may just be more eager to help and would be more law abiding rather than just knowing birth and death anniversaries of great heroes. I am not saying that learning all that is not important; however implication of this text book knowledge in day to day life barely matters.

I think children need to have more developed civic sense, need to have more developed independent thinking, need to develop problem solving ability. Memorizing theorems will not help, using them in life is what is more important. I personally think that it is more important for children to write essays, to solve problems, to read books other than course material, to make projects, to express than just mug up what is written in a text book or giving to them as tuition hand-outs.

I pity parents who think that only written tests are a good measure of the child’s intellectual capability. These colleagues of mine were discussing how ‘faltu’ the new structure is. That sports and co-curricular activities are unnecessarily included in the evaluation. And that these activities will no way help their children’s education.  Wow! What world are these guys living in? For them movies like ‘taarein zameen pe’ and ‘3 Idiots’ are made. Do they just watch them as movies and come home and get back on the old track.

Give your child space. What the Indian education system is now heading for is a revolution. It will only make your child smarter and not some robot who can memorize a few lessons. Children who like course books will still like it none the less. But this new system will give opportunities to those who will be future scientists, researchers, writers, entrepreneurs, artists, painters, singers, dancers, sports-persons and the world. Let them experience a whole new world of opportunities. Let your kids look beyond lessons and chapters… let them experience.

Religion? What’s that?

I was having a chat with one of my friends today and we somehow started talking of religion. I am a Hindu and he is a Syrian Orthodox (it is a sub-division within Christianity I believe). He was talking of following religion or whatever was taught to him by his parents/grandparents/forefathers/ancestors without questioning.  

I like to question and challenge religion. What IS religion? No, really. What do you mean by saying that you are Hindu/Muslim/Christian/Sikh etc etc. As per me, it only states what kind of rituals you follow. We have so many divisions within these divisions and somehow I have noticed that people are rather intolerant about other people who may belong to the same religion and caste but different region. So doesn’t that mean that religion alone does not define you? It is the sub division, the caste, the sub caste, the region, the language, and of course the economic strata.  So what I understand that when religion was created, it was essentially created to give structure to the human life and way of life. Right?

Now because the environmental, political, spiritual, financial requirement of every region was different, religion was created to balance out all of these factors. Now just straying here a bit, one thing is very important for a human to survive (and this I say with personal experience) - Faith. So, there you go another ingredient there and that what is most important – Faith was added to religion.

For getting people together and to tie them to one string of belief some rituals were added, which when followed through generations became traditions. And these became customs, and the rest is history as they say. People somehow believe that you need to follow all of these customs come what may else 1. Your ancestors will be annoyed and curse you 2. Your Gods will be offended and curse you 3. You will die a horrible death 4. You will go to hell 5. Blah blah blah All of this put together is what we call Religion.

Most of us just follow blindly without questioning the logic or origin or reason to the particular custom/ritual/tradition. We do not stop to think whether doing so and so is applicable in today’s world and times. In some religions questioning the customs or the institute is a ‘sin’. Bah! There you go. If religion is so pure and it has the truth of the world in it then why I as a follower or believer do not have a right to question it? Let me question religion and let religion prove that whatever it preaches is true and let me fall on my knees and beg forgiveness and become a follower again. But nah! That door is closed already. Do religions fear that if followers question it/them then it/they will be in a thick soup and wouldn’t know what to answer.

But again we come to the same question, what is religion? And who are these people who govern religion? Who gives them the right to accept or banish people into or from it?

I am not a non-believer, I know there is some supreme power. I like some customs, they give a person/family pleasure. But I question. I question all that that does not make sense to me. I apply logic. I may have these massive arguments with most people around me who follow these customs blindly. But I have a brain, I have education, I can apply logic, so why not question and challenge something that as per humans is a rather large part of their being. Why not question why how what is done.

I question and I am not afraid of questioning publicly. I may be called an atheist or anti God or ‘bad influence’. But I know as a human I have a right to question. To question the very core of what drives people today. To question the core of something that is responsible for war and destruction and death across the world. I will choose whether I believe or not. I will choose whether what has become of our religion today holds true or not… It is all so wrecked. I will follow what gives me pleasure and peace and binds me to my family and friends. Not what divides and fills me with hatred.

Our heaven and hell both are here. We have to experience it on earth while we breathe. I believe in good Karma and that I know what it is. I still don’t know what is Religion and who is God!!!!

pari hoon

Today, read about another rape and the victim is an American woman working and living in India. It’s a regular news now to hear about foreign women being raped in India. Women, no matter from where they belong should not be violated. No matter how they dress, how they talk, what culture they belong to, when women say no they mean no, and that line should not be crossed…

हाँ में परी हूँ 

दूर देश से आई एक परी हूँ 

थोड़ी सी अलग 

थोड़ी सी बेखबर 

थोड़ी अनजान 

थोड़ी आजाद 

ख्याल है मेरे खुले खुले 

रिश्ते यूँ ही बन भी जाते है 

सम्बन्ध भी जुड़ जाते है 

लेकिन है मेरी भी सीमाएं कई 

उलंघन करके  उनका 

अनादर ना करो मेरा 

बस कुच्छ क्षण के सहवास के लिए 

न तोड़ो यूँ मेरी पवित्रता 

मैं तोह सिर्फ एक परी हूँ 

दूर देश से आई हुई 

तुम्हारा देश है प्यारा प्यारा 

प्यारे रंगों से खिला खिला 

लेकिन क्यूँ होता है हर बार मेरे साथ 

क्या में थोड़ी अलग हूँ इसलिए 

या मेरे यह विचार!

लेकिन उनका उद्देश यह नहीं 

क्षति न करो मेरी चेतना की 

है मेरी भी कोई मरियादा 

मेरे स्वभाव का नहीं यह अभिप्राय 

की तुम भंग करो मेरा देह 

मैं तो सिर्फ एक परी हूँ 

दूर देश से आई हुई 

लौट जाने दो मुझे यूँ ही 

कुच्छ मीठी यादें लेकर 

मैं तोह सिर्फ एक परी हूँ 

दूर देश से आई हुई 

Haan main pari hoon

Door desh se aai ek pari hoon

Thodi si alag

Thodi si bekhabar

Thodi anjaan

Thodi ajaad

Khayal hai mere khule khule

Rishte yun hi ban bhi jaate hai

Sambandh Bhi jud jaate hai

Lekin hai meri bhi seemyein kai

Ulanghan karke unka

Anaadar naa karo mera

Bas kucch kshan ke sehwaas ke liye

Na todo yun meri pavitrata

Main toh sirf ek pari hoon

Door desh se aayi hui

Tumhara desh hai pyara pyara

Pyare rangon se khila khila

Lekin kyun hota hai har baar mere saath

Kya main thodi alag hoon isliye

Ya mere yeh vichaar!

Lekin unka uddesh yeh nahi

Kshati na karo meri chetna ki

Hai meri bhi koi mariyada

Mere swabhaav ka nahi yeh abhipraay

Ki tum bhang karo mera deh

Main toh sirf ek pari hoon

Door desh se aayi hui

Laut jaane do mujhe yun hi

Kucch mithi yaadein lekar

Main toh sirf ek pari hoon

Door desh se aayi hui