Sex Education in schools.

I am supporter of having sex-education in schools. But it is critically important that we think through what we going to offer before we start passing on any judgments.

Sex education is a need of time. The kind of society we are developing into is probably not the best one that we should offer to future generations. So bracing our forth-coming generations against our wrong-doings is our moral responsibility. BJP is vehemently against introducing it in schools with the argument that it is against the culture! What a lame argument. Even if I am to buy into the supplest definition of ‘Culture’, I don’t think sex education goes against it. Ramdev baba, the Yoga guru also passed out a statement that instead of teaching sex-education, government should teach Yoga. What a pity! I would have been much happy if he would have used ‘and’ in place of ‘instead of’. I do not under-estimate the power of Yoga or challenge his knowledge about it (when he says that Yoga can put sex-anxiety in teens at rest), but I don’t think Yoga is a ‘replacement’ in any sense.

I understand that there are infinite things to think about before to actually introduce it. The age of students when we want to introduce it is equally important with what contents are to be introduced. We have to consider from the stand point of teachers as well! It wouldn’t be surprise or unexpected if the present teachers are un-comfortable teaching that to students. Either we will need to have separate task-force for this OR we will need to train fresh Teachers about how to teach it. The techniques of how one should teach material in class are also worth pondering over. Students are not going to take anything serious, let it be sex-education or political history! Besides, they are quite likely to embarrass the teacher than to not pay any heed.

So we certainly need a well-thought solution in place, but turning the option flat out down is not the way.

Entertainment show for people, which no one is allowed to attend...

With today’s world with such a political diversity, you never know what will make news. Olympics have been a BIG event for last many years, but this time more than Olympics, the Olympics Torch is making rounds in the news-room! The Torch which represents Freedom, Sportsmanship, and Individualism together with communism (You bet 'Pun' is intended) is being hosted by a country which is being accused of oppression and imperialism in Tibet. As if world was running short of ironies, our Government wants to showcase another one.

The torch will be running in New Delhi, capitol of largest democracy on this Thursday. Government has been notified of possible threat to this torch-run by Tibetan protestors (which actually got realized in France). Chinese ambassador expressed concerned over this, but the paternal Indian government assured China that the run will be successful. And how are they going to make sure of that is,

The run will be shortened to half of its regular length (2.5 km), there will be VIP level security around, the Rajpath, where this torch will run, will be closed for that time, all the building surrounding that Raj-marga will be closed. Imagine; there has been a dictum even to close all the windows and doors opening towards that Raj-marga. If the need be the torch will also be placed inside a vehicle. What more could be done?

But does this represent the real spirit of Sportsmanship? Why don’t we just run that Torch inside some military bunker?

I can understand the pressure on Indian Government from diplomatic point of view, but there could have been other ways.... closing all doors is just like closing your mind to new ideas and Freedom!

There are 5 letters between 'A' and 'G'!

Empty mind is a Devil’s den and nothing could be a better example than what ‘Face the Nation’, a talk show on CNN-IBN, recently conducted. The title of the talk on 15th April 2008 was – ‘Ambedkar’s legacy last more than Gandhi’s?’ (link - http://ibnlive.com/news/ambedkars-legacy-lasts-more-than-gandhis/63317-3.html)

What are they doing? Why do we have this obsession of pitching one person against another? Did we run out of people, who are alive, that now we are doing it posthumously? And more so over, why are we comparing apples with oranges anyway?

For me, with whatever little knowledge that I have, I think Gandhi and Ambedkar dealt with completely two different ideas! Gandhi is pre-independence era and Ambedkar is post-independence. Gandhi was concerned with emancipating India from shackles of foreign rule, where as Ambedkar was trying to infuse the idea of ‘Equal Humanity’ into the newly born baby. Yes, no doubt they did clash! But we have to acknowledge the different domains they were borrowing their experiences from. Besides their goal and ideals were different, their sufferings were different, the era in which they were born was different, the History they witnessed was different and the palpability of realization of ‘Independent India’ they both felt, was different!

They both are the legends for all the population of India! They both did a daunting and out-of the world job. If we compare them for the petty small political mileage we are doing nothing but bringing shame to us! Have we first realized their dreams? NO! India is still under imperialism; Then it was ‘British’ now it is ‘Politics’! We still have Casti’sm, Then it was upper cast who was practicing it now its Indian Government!

Politicians dont only speak, they do some concrete things too!

Blowing your trumpet is a past thing, pouring in concrete is the ‘In’ thing now.
BSP leader Mayawati, recently unveiled a statue of BSP founder Kanshi Ram, Dr. Ambedkar and supposedly another profound leader of BSP, none other than ‘Mayawati’ herself! (Is that a surprise look on your face!?)

She didn’t just stop there; she went out in public blowing her own trumpet and justifying how it is right! There have been statues of leaders inaugurated while they were still around; but those were not inaugurated by them-selves and above of all, all the leaders were humble to that respect! M. Karunanidhi is one of them.

Unfortunately, the whole Cast issue is still not dead in India, but playing national level politics with it is what something that bothers me. Why it is that, ‘I’am a Dalit!’ draws votes and ‘You are a Dalit!’ draws scorn and contempt? I know it’s a vicious cycle but both sides will need to give up and grow! I once again repeat, if you don’t know the right direction, at least don’t follow the wrong direction! Status-quo is preferred to regress!

Black magic

I think we end up having most interesting conversations almost un-intentionally. An afternoon coffee gibberish with your colleagues can at times actually turned out to be a very thought provocative (naah… not about work-issues!). And I just lived up to one such conversation recently.

A colleague of mine was talking about some magician (David Copperfield he was I think), and was explaining me how amusing his magic is. I was very obstinate that no magic can impress me because it is all slight of hand or hypnotism after all! The argument just dragged along and somehow we ended up talking about this show on TV, in which a Black-magician was challenged by the host, to show his skills on the host himself! To such an extent, that Host was even ready to get himself killed if magician succeeded. Needless (is it really? I wonder) to say, host won! The poor magician couldn’t perform at all. Now that disturbed me a little. I felt sympathetic towards the Black-magician!

Did you notice the irony! I wasn’t buying into the mundane magic but I was little upset (?) to see black magic fail. After pondering over it for long I found one word staring right at me, in my face, ‘Faith’!

I think it has got all to do with ‘Faith’. In the black magic there is involvement of God, in whom I don’t only trust, but I have Faith in Him! Because of that, I know anyone who calls for him sincerely, He will answer to him. There is no breach in that contract. It’s very hard where to draw line between your faith and superstition (, and I certainly don’t want to address that here because I know for a fact that I will not be able to do that at all). But if we don’t confuse faith with superstition, then Faith is a necessary ingredient of your life. You have Faith in your body and so you know that you will live for tomorrow. You have Faith in your family and so you try to provide for them. You have Faith in your religion and so you try to follow the customs! Isn’t it amazing how Faith works!? You never get any doubts about what you have Faith in. You always know if something failed; then that must be you or your efforts or your intentions, but you don’t doubt your Faith.

5 letter word and that can turn your beliefs upside down. Being a firm believer in God, I somehow ended up having faith even in black-magic, OR to be precise I had faith in ‘the faith black-magician had put in his God’. Deep down somewhere I thought, if He can answer my wishes, why not his! If He fails the magician, He will fail me too!

So it boils down to; I wasn’t upset because the black-magic did not work; I got upset because his Faith was not answered. I realize that his intentions were wrong and so I am not terribly sorry for the magician, but I believe that, were his intentions have been right and constructive, may be we could have seen some White-magic!

To the friends of mine,

Today we had gone out for a cup of coffee in the noon. On our way back there is this right turn which takes you into my office building.. and recently I have been driving little brash on that curve. Everyday there is no one in the car when I take that turn, today there were few friends of mine ridding along with me.
I ended up driving fast on that curve which put my friends in a bad mood. It even almost hurt one of my friend!
This blog entry is to give an public apology to them! I understand that it was irresponsible on my part to drive like that and its not only my life but also their life which I was jeopardizing. I sinserely and truely apologize to both of them.
Guys, forgive me, please.
Hope you can understand.

Bending your principles!

I am completely against capitol punishment! I don’t think we, the humans, have any right to finish anything that we didn’t start.

But after reading the news about this 12-year old girl being raped, I will not mind bending my principle! These guys should be tortured to death; a quicky is not for them.
All my condolences go out to that girl. I hope she can resurrect herself back from this pathetic unfortunate torture. I apologize to her on behalf of the society.

I hope that the Supreme Court doesn’t surprise me by showing leniency to the main culprit; just because he has confessed his crime. Supposedly there are other two accomplices whose information is available with the police department.

Aaaah.. I am just too scared if the dead-slow judicial system (its for right reason,) of ours is going to meet out the justice to her!