Stand Together

Incredible India! Yes India is an incredibly beautiful country with diversity that can be seen nowhere else in the world. It is also incredible to note that my country is full of incredibly unbelievable hypocrites where a powerfully rich politician (read Kanimozhi) is given bail for squandering money of a huge figure that my mind can’t fathom exists in India and where a stupid sarpanch of some backward village is not even arrested for assualting a woman in public. What is wrong with this country? Everything! Once debating with a friend on Indian values v/s western values I realised we are so proud of our Indian culture and so called ‘Sanskriti’. So that means we should be proud of the following as well – A minor is raped and is forced to marry her tormentor. We should be congratulating her for her newly found wedded bliss. Online content will now be censored, the Minister’s excuse being religious sentiments of certain communities being hurt through online posts and content. Poo...

I happened to watch the movie Provoked over the weekend. The movie is based on the real life story of Kiranjit Aluwalia. Naveen Andrews, the actor who played the role of her husband uttered these lines, " You're a woman, you're nothing ", while abusing his wife. I was reminded of those instances where I was told the very same thing repeatedly. How did I put up with it and why I still cannot fathom. What upset me more was why I did not write about this before. Was I scared? Was I ashamed? What was I thinking? The movie, though not a great one, put many questions in front of me or rather brought out the questions burning in my heart to lips. Why do women put up with domestic violence and sexual abuse? Is it because we don't want to shame our families? Is it because we don't like being termed as 'house breakers'? Are we too proud to expose our vulnerability? Or is it because it is so steeped in our so called 'Indian culture' that being abused see...

The Telangana Movement has raised its ugly head again in a very quiet manner this time sans the riots and the violence and once again the government prefers only to watch the show. In most countries/cities which have been under the grip of their respective revolutions, there have been incidents of severe looting. The looting in Hyderabad is so different that the looters justify their acts fairly enough. There aren't any buses running in the city today hence it is an opportunity for the auto drivers, private buses and also the call center vehicles to make the most of. A distance which costed Rs1o/- to cross yesterday is worth Rs30/- today. If you refuse to pay, you will get to hear the profanest words that exist in the Hindi and Telugu dictionary. There is police every where but they're watching the show too. They have been instructed to make sure there is no violence on the roads but somehow they manage to ignore verbal violence as calmly as if they're watching the most bor...

Living in the suburbs of Hyderabad has its share of blessings. One such blessing, being able to take long walks on rugged roads surrounded by farmlands. Every time I go for one such walk early in the morning or late in the evening an old farmer, dressed in his Earth soiled dhoti, kurta and turban turns up out of nowhere surprising me. He walks along with me for a few minutes always asking me about my lunch, about how my day was and where I was going. I knew he was a farmer but some how to me he never seemed real as he would suddenly appear out of nowhere. A few days ago, I was walking home in the rain and I met him again. He asked for the time and suggested that I buy an umbrella as these rains are not good. This morning at 6:00AM, walking under the street lights, under the trees in the furious rain I see a ghostly figure walking towards me with a huge plastic bag over his head. It is the ghostly farmer again. He notices me and decides to walk back with me. He was very cheerful in the ...

So it is another Friday afternoon. I and my friend, Srinardhani excitedly leave office to have lunch. Venue: the food court, DLF Cybercity, Hyderabad. As always there are lesser number of tables than there are people. Srinardhani is not too hungry and I headed over to Sun and Moon (one of the smaller food joints) to get my lunch and we find a table in front of Motherboard, another eating joint run by Sri Hospitality & Ventures Pvt Ltd which also runs the Blue Ray chain of restaurants. Now the practice so far at the DLF food court has been that anyone can sit anywhere no matter from which joint they have bought their food. I can eat a Domino's pizza in front of Motherboard and I can eat a dosa, bought at Motherboard in front of Pink Elephant. As an employee working in the grand SEZ building I can sit anywhere I like. Rules change, Motherboard, since this afternoon does not want to entertain people buying their food elsewhere at their tables. Since it is a business it is totally ...

KFC!! One of the most popular fast food restaurants in the city has customer service that is indeed "finger licking good"! But here is the catch... The KFC joint that I'm writing about is located within the Cinemax multiplex premises at Banajara Hills. Who is serving you there? A bunch of young, REALLY REALLY cheerful, smiling boys in red KFC t-shirts. If you're going there for the first time you wouldn't understand why the person taking your order isn't speaking a word and is instead confirming your order by pointing it out on the menu in front of him and smiling at the same time. If you have understood him correctly and he has understood you clearly you get a very happy "thumbs up" sign from him. All these boys cannot speak nor can hear yet they serve you perfectly without any irritation and arrogance. I've been there multiple times and will keep going there forever though I'm not very fond of chicken. Here is why: The Welcome: One of these...

Sunday is a day that everybody wishes to relax but there are some jobs and responsibilities that cannot be ignored on a holiday. One such responsibility being helping someone in real need. I and my little sister were crossing a road on Sunday afternoon (6th Feb'2011), and we suddenly see from a distance that a man is lying helplessly unconscious on the road in front of a huge lorry. We called the 108 emergency service immediately. (This is an everyday 0ccurance on the roads of Hyderabad.) But what actually shocked us was the attitude of the traffic police. There were two cops directing the traffic there and neither of them stood up from his chair to help the man or bring him on to the pavement. It was when I and my sister tried to lift him up from the middle of the road did two auto drivers help us. The cops still didn't pay any attention. After a few minutes another cop joined them only to stare at us and we glared back at him. Now when we asked why didn't they help the ma...