Why?

Every little thing we do, we do it out of love. Love for money, fame, success, reputation, legacy, family and the list goes on and on and on. But the key element remains the same: love. Not hatred, just love. Pure. And there's a price attached to it. It's a daily process manipulated by trains of heartbeat, pints of poisoned blood, streams of stinky sweat, storms of headaches, fields of warts and godknowswhatelse. But they are worth it. Anything we do out of passion, the end result has to be bliss. Like a drunk person who lays on the side of the street unattended by civilization. Or a painter locked in his basement unmindful of the bills that are accumulating upstairs. Or an otherwise svelte housewife who is gaining weight thanks to her responsibilities nicknamed hubby, kids and in-laws. Or firefighters who enter inferno while everybody else is running out of it. What drives them? What's in there for them? Why do they appear like they are totally fine with their share of effort irrespective of the consequences? Just in case you reach that spot, do let me know how it feels like. We'll share notes.

A not-so-open letter

Dear NaMo, 

            Let's begin with some honesty. I never really liked you. Despite all the reports suggesting that you were taking Gujarat to new heights of development, I always felt you were way too cocky. Humility was grossly missing in your persona. Maybe that's also the reason why you never felt the need to apologize for the loss of human lives during your tenure. [No, no, I'm not referring to earthquake.] Any other chief minister would have found it morally wrong to continue on his chair after what really happened. You were different. You said you weren't complicit to what ensued in the name of religion. Unfortunately, the majority sided with you saying you were protecting Hindu—if not Gujarati—asmita. To your credit, even the Supreme Court (although via a special investigation unit) found you clean. 

          Good for you.

         Today, you are the prime minister of the country. First PM to have born after India gained independence. First PM to have the fortune to call up his ma and inform her about his promotion. First PM, perhaps, to have earned so much love and admiration thanks to his incorruptible image. And that's where your real test begins. You've been entrusted with something that's much greater than your ego. Millions of people are expecting a change that might alter their life for ages to come. I hope you deliver on your promises. I hope you maintain your vision and not give into pressure or sycophancy. Going by your party's manifesto, there  is indeed hope. There are some trivial sentences there as well regarding Hindutva and temples. Speaking of which, Hindutva doesn't need politics (or politicians) to thrive. It's the other way round actually. And as far as temples are concerned, there are more than enough in this country. The roads leading to them are potholes-ridden though. A reason strong enough to set your priorities right. It's either going to be full-fledged development or mockery of people's aspiration. The choice is yours. Just like your legacy. Your sense of history is a bit distorted. I hope the same is not true about the future.

           Love is blind. After all, people blindly accepted that you've got a 56 inch chest when you've got 44. They also accepted that you were a chaiwallah when the fact is that your dad was. You were just a student who helped him in your free time. It's alright. What's the point in having a spectacle without some theatrical lies? If greatness has to emerge out of white lies, so be it. 

          The stage is yours now. Your rivals have gracefully left it. Perform and stagger us. And while you are it, please ensure that the reforms take place as early as possible. Last decade was lost on us. We can't afford to lose another. You are not know for saying sorry anyway so you better do what you are expected to before it's too late.

             Lastly, please go low on the rhetorics and high on work. 

             Good luck to you as well as us.  

                                                                                                   Sincerely, 

                                                 An acche din aficionado                                          

Is it?

• Is it weird to check out others' hands as they are fascinating and—unlike a face—way too underrated?
• Is it weird to want to wait a bit longer than usual?
• Is it weird to draw doodles that don't really make sense?
• Is it weird to bring your ear close to someone's chest and hear what their heartbeat is trying to say? 
• Is it weird to get so lost in somebody else's thoughts that you don't remember yourself anymore?
• Is it weird to lean in and then whisper nothing?
• Is it weird to know everything and yet feel clueless?
• Is it weird to teach your parents a thing or two about true love?
• Is it weird to believe that you'll be alright?
• Is it weird to envisage a future on the basis of your present?
• Is it weird to stand in the middle of the subway for no peculiar reason while the crowd passes you by?
• Is it weird to talk to yourself only to get caught?
• Is it weird to avoid a go at happiness?
• Is it weird to wake up alone after having dreams of togetherness?
• Is it weird to defeat hunger with hope?
• Is it weird to ACTUALLY understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom?
• Is it weird to invent a God when there's no dearth in the first place?
• Is it weird to tell a friend that you might never come back?
• Is it weird to run like Forrest Gump?
• Is it weird to be inert as well as passionate about someone?
• Is it weird to lick her armpits in your mind?
• Is it weird to not acknowledge when to talk and when to shut up?
• Is it weird to be quiet like an eagle or talkative like a sparrow?
• Is it weird to let cinema seep into your reality?
• Is it weird to be unsure of your ability to fail?
• Is it weird to ruin perfection by touching it again and again?
• Is it weird to be?
• Is it weird to hold her hands and cry in those palms?
• Is it weird to keep on writing without a point?

A wrong of change

Last year, just before 2012 was coming to an end, something happened in New Delhi that shook us. Last week, an incident of a similar nature took place in a city that isn't the official Rape Capital of India. The guys who orchestrated that heinous crime in the North were majorly Hindus while those repeating the same in the West were mostly Muslims. What it tells is violation of a woman happens irrespective of region and religion. It doesn't even matter whether they are literate or not even though it's worth nothing that none of our educated friends are rapists even if they are bona fide chauvinists. 

Is this true in your case too?

However, there's something much more complicated at work than what meets the eye. Rape is not the only act meriting an unambiguous scorn. Making the most of a crowded public place—be it molesting or eve-teasing—is equally contemptible. Secondly, there needs not be any distinction between a member of a gang-rape squad and a pack of wolves as both attack with an intention to destroy. At least the latter don't blame anything on inebriation or propaganda. As a human society, we can step back and ask why such horrible non-events take place. 

And why always men?

Is it because we usually think with our genitals? If so, why aren't all men violators? Or are they? Maybe they are but are just too smart to get caught. Hmmm. We'll never have a clue for sure. Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that the day before a guy decided to turn shameless in order to execute an act that he wouldn't like his sister to be part of, he was just another guy who hadn't committed that act at all. The point being you never know how you'll behave next. Uncertainty sucks. The circumstances that drive one towards a dark abyss might very well reveal some psychological clues. 

But that's not it. 

During the Year Mayans Predicted The World Will End, around 25,000 of our womenfolk were raped. This year won't be very different given the higher rate of reporting injustice which is a healthy as well as a sad sign. The figures aren't going down though. On the other hand, the number of AIDS patients are decreasing in such a manner that pharmaceutical companies producing antiretroviral are filing losses! But then, rape is incurable. No amount of penance can rid the perpetrator of his unspeakable crimes and nobody can possibly bring normalcy back to the victim.