Caution.

Look who is making news this time and that too for a strange, miraculous, yet joyous revelation. However, for me, the news is a mixture of joy and the different influences it would have on the readers. He escaped the jaws death, all thanks to his several genetic mutations. Yes, I am talking about the 61-year-old “Black Sabbath”, Ozzy Osbourne. He is known as the ‘Prince of darkness’ and he is as famous for his excessive intake of drugs (cocaine, morphine, sleeping cough etc) and alcohol as he is for his voice. He claims to have done LSD every day for two years and he drank booze like water. There is no medical reason for him to be alive. Many of the anomalies scientists discovered had to do with how Osbourne processes drugs and alcohol. I am happy for the man.

 Understand that, it is a very rare situation and he was lucky enough to have his genetic mutations however, not all individuals possess them. Therefore, swimming in a pool of booze and excessive use of drugs brings nothing but destruction. Osbourne is not endorsing anything here and neither was he performing a stunt on fear factor. It is a chapter in his actual life that he has unfolded and it has got nothing to do with whether or not one can survive the odds he survived. There is absolutely no need to try and be like him.

My only endeavour is that, Osbourne continues to be an inspiring rocker and that his secret survival as a ‘mutant’ wouldn’t be misinterpreted and taken otherwise by the readers. Long life Ozzy.

Ctrl+c & Crtl+v

Is there any research or conceptualization in most of India’s reality shows?

Guess they are not required. Somebody else’s doing it on their behalf. What does India do then? Let’s try and find out.

From ‘Top Chef’ comes ‘Amul Master Chef India’. ‘Big Brother’ to ‘Bigg Boss’. ‘Fear Factor’ to ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’. ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader’ to ‘Kya App Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai’. The list goes on.

‘Plagiarism’ is not a topic of discussion because some of the shows may have copyrights. The fact is that these shows have already been there, why not come up with something new. Concept and research as I mentioned seems to have a very little role to play. It’s simply the technique of copy and paste, an alteration perhaps in the name and a negligible deviation from the source.

The source is what matters and not how well it’s being copied. We literally have a bunch of talented people with exquisite ideas to give the west some healthy competition. 21^st century, guess we’re done with copying.

Harry Potter minus Hedwig.

“Following “Harry Potter”, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls,” environment minister Jairam Ramesh said.

I personally just don’t know how to react to that. But poor ‘Hedwig’ (Harry’s snow-white owl) and poor Harry they've done nothing. I can understand the minister’s concern for the illegal domestication of owls however; my question is how many misguided viewers are there who purchase dogs, fish, birds or other animals after seeing them in films. We cannot generalize the notion otherwise, it gets a little loose. What about animal lovers who would not abandon animals: until death do they part.

Parents I’m sure are aware of what kind of animals that can be used for domestication and even if they have other unusual choices, they would not for certain nurture a dinosaur just because their kids saw it in “Jurassic Park”. It is just weird and its common sense. I don’t know anyone who has got a pet owl and in regards to the endangered species, there are ways and means to bring it to light in order to increase public awareness. But, blaming “Harry Potter” is just too lame. If the world starts literally imitating what is on TV, guess what kind of world we would be living in. Matrix?

Talk or not to talk.

It is perhaps ‘the’ question that India as a country should ponder upon.

The question as to why we can’t talk about Kashmir but its OK to interlocute about it (Jug Suraiya’s  editorial ‘Jargon jagran’ (Nov 5).

Kashmir is a sensitive subject in India. Arundhati Roy and S A S Geelani were accused of sedition because they tried to talk about Kashmir and the possibility of freedom for it and for their pains.

Now, this is an extreme reaction from the government and they simply blew things out of proportion. Where is democracy and where is the right to speech and expression? If the masses need someone (like an eminent person in power, experts, netas etc) to speak on their behalf, why did the constitution generalizes such rights then to every Indian citizen. There are for sure a million and one subjects that the public discusses everyday. For a simple reason that they are current and they concern humanity in one way or the other or for mere gossip. Therefore, a person voicing out his/her opinion or reacting to things around in a lawful manner cannot be considered unlawful and accused of sedition. Besides, why should the public keep their mouths shut when things are simply being procrastinated? And it’s only when the government is threatened that words like ‘accused’ become so apparent.

Vulnerable maids

 

This is in regards to the Bill that was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Nov 4. The Bill revolves around protecting women against sexual harassment at the workplace. Therefore, women subjected to sexual advances (verbal or physical) has every right to complaint against their colleagues and if anyone is found guilty they’re likely to face financial penalties, loss of employment or even a police complaint.

Interestingly enough, the government has excluded domestic helps from the purview of the Bill, the most vulnerable section to such abuses. Officials argued that they were left out due to lack of witnesses and the effectiveness of the local community in the accused’s house.

The decision is outrageous. It is not only an act of injustice to the particular section but also injustice to the entire female community. It’s like synonymous to saying that maids are susceptible to such abuses and if by chance they lack witness, there’s nothing that can be done. Why is this section being left out? Are they not women? Isn’t it the same abuse? Providing witnesses for such a grave offence does not substantiate total exclusion of the entire domestic section. It in fact, demands crucial measures and exceptions that the government should take into consideration. The decision here is not only the future sorry plight of the domestic helps but also the increase of such offenders because, now, they can flout rules without impunity.

If words could kill...

I agree with the editorial ‘Kept out of bounds’ (Indian Express, October23).

The editorial talks about the inappropriate choice of words the bench used as it tried to define the contours of domestic partnerships and give unmarried woman in long-term relations some of the legal benefits in marriage. For example the use of ‘keep’ by the Supreme Court (referring to a woman whom a man maintains financially for sexual purpose and or as a servant) is offensive and reflects badly on women.

This is because words are so powerful and they not only communicate ideas but, they also reflect the mindset and attitudes of people. We are all passing through a transition in social perceptions wherein we are trying to bring some respect to socially disadvantage sections by abandoning certain terminologies that were commonly used in the past. Words like ‘negro’ is offensive because it is a term associated with the long history of slavery, segregation and discrimination that treated African-Americans as second class citizens, or worse. It is a term that racists would use simply to get black people mad wherein, we can simply refer to them as African-Americans. In the process we would just land up hurting others sentiments and wreck their peace. It is again like calling a Jewish person Hebrew or an Asian person Oriental. No one wants to be labeled by others especially when the label is derogatory.

The quick fix is more or less the ability to coin better substitutes of words, to protect others dignity and avoid misinterpretations.

Secure in Secularism

When will the much awaited-verdict on the case over the ownership of the disputed site at Ayodhya happen?

Guess even the Supreme Court would not have an answer to it! Would the verdit be based on anarchy or law?

In either case we all have to wait.

It is sad because a country like India that is amidst diversities has somehow not acquired that sense of what we  have in common : the assumptions, the habits, the shared-reference points an so on.

From my personal opinion, 2.77 acres of land, can that not be divided. If Rohan Bopanna from India and Aisam-Ul-Haq-Qureshi from Pakistan can play together during the US Open men's doubles; and if Hindus villagers in Karnataka Gadag district can offer help to rebuild the 50-year-old mosque for the benefit of a handful of 20 muslims in the village, why can't there be a healthy way out to resolve the issue rather than depending upon our so called government's decision.