[#Personal] Looking Images!

You might have felt it too. It happens many times with us when somehow our thoughts are fixated about someone and we happen to see that person’s image in some unrelated person or thing. For example, as soon as I saw the picture of this little bird, what came to my mind? Image of my baby daughter!

Then I realized that the bird is looking a bit sad. So why should my daughter be sad? Because she is not with me and wants me to pick her up!

- Rahul

[#Journalism] Curious Case of Assault of an Air India staffer by a Shiv Sena MP

If you have frequently flown on Air India, you would have noticed that their staff would rank lowest in customer service. Their staff are often rude and treat you as if they are doing you great service by just letting you fly with them. For record, Air India was ranked as "third worst Airline in the World" just 2 months back (https://tinyurl.com/zop5uyx). It is in this background that I looked at the recent media-generated outrage against a politician for beating up an Air India staff with great curiosity and amusement.

I also noticed one thing repeated in all media reports - that the politician assaulted a "60-year-old duty manager". 60 years old and yet not retired? Oh yes - Air India was seeing an exodus of staff and hence a few years back it raised retirement age from 58 to 60. That is against the trend in sectors like airlines where younger and energetic staff is preferred. The media appeared to be highlighting the age of the duty  manager to garner public sympathy for him and against the MP. And it had to not mention the age of the MP which is 56 - just 4 years younger.

Next, the punishment suggested by media was of idiotic proportions. According to media, he should be sacked from parliament, banned by his party, not to mention named and shamed on national television for days and night - without caring about what adverse impact it could create on him and his family members. It reminded me the case of a tainted govt officer, whose family committed suicide after he was caught and received huge media attention. Any punishment should correspond to the gravity of the crime. The case should go to the court which should decide on the punishment; but media had already conducted "media trial" and need not bother about sanity.

The particulars of the case are interesting. The MP felt he was wronged (by not being given business class seat); hence remained seated in the aircraft after it landed; and declined to get down - something which is called "Satyagrah". Since the scuffle happened after planed had landed and no other passenger was on board, of course there was no threat to the other passengers.

Compare the case to what happened with popular comedian Kapil Sharma. Kapil was drunk and he abused and beat up his colleagues including Sunil Grower "in air" - and thereby was a threat to the flight as well as to other passengers. But no media houses asked for his ban from flying, or airing off of his TV show, or defamed him by playing the video 24X7. In fact a lot of TV news channels did not discuss this episode openly.

So why was the politician a recipient of such a bad press while the comedian was protected? Because of many reasons. The MP came from a background which is not trending. He is a tough looking male - member of a right wing political party without national presence - a politician who is not in power - all criteria made him ideal for victimization by the electronic media. On the other hand, Kapil is chubby and innocent looking - is a comedian with huge nation wide fan following - a man who is part of TV and Bollywood and hence highly powerful - all these factors make him ideal to play the victim rather than the assailant.

Thanks to the media, the rude staff of Air India are enjoying hero like status while an elected representative is paying huge price. What would be the repercussions of this event in the long run? If you are a customer of such government organizations - beware. Their spirits are high - if they can do this to an MP - who are you and me? Forget it. Just keep silence and tolerate all that happens with you - and then you are a good person. You may even come on TV someday.

- Rahul

... ~ गौरैया ~ ...

गौरैया - यह गोल-मटोल छोटी चिड़िया भला किसे अच्छी नहीं लगती होगी? मेरा विश्वास है कि गौरैया हम सब के बचपन की स्मृतियों का अभिन्न अंग होगी। मेरा बचपन तो छोटे शहर में गुजरा जहाँ झुंड-की-झुंड गौरैयाएँ आतीं, दाना चुगतीं और फुर्र से उड़ जातीं। बड़े शहरों में तो अब सिर्फ आलसी पक्षी कबूतर मिलते हैं - जो दूर से भले ही सुन्दर लगें, बालकनी और छज्जियों पर सिर्फ गन्दगी फैलाते हैं। गौरैयों से उनकी तुलना कहाँ! 

गौरैया इतनी सुन्दर शायद इसलिए भी लगती है क्योंकि वह छोटी होती है और इस कारण बचपन की याद दिलाती है। ज्यादा रंग बिरंगी नहीं होती, शायद इसलिए उसकी सादगी ज्यादा भाती है। उसकी आवाज भी 'चहचहाती' हुई बिल्कुल वैसी होती है जैसा उसका प्यारा सा व्यक्तित्व है।

आज 'अंतरराष्ट्रीय गौरैया दिवस' है जो कि हर साल २० मार्च को मनाया जाता है। यह याद दिलाने के लिए कि हमारे जीवन की आपाधापी में हम गौरैया जैसी पक्षियों को न भूल जाएँ और उनके प्राकृतिक वातावरण की कुछ चिंता जरूर करें। फादर-मदर-वुमन-डे जैसे विभिन्न दिवसों में से ये एक दिवस ऐसा है जो ह्रदय को वहाँ छूता है जहाँ और कोई दिन नहीं छूते। 

प्यारी गौरैया और उसके संगीत का आभार - हमारे बचपन में रंग भरने को सारी पक्षियों का आभार। 

- राहुल 

[#Movies] A Lot Like Love

This is a very interesting movie based on a theme on which a lot of movies have been made. You meet someone you know you want to spend whole life with but due to circumstances and either of you not being on the same page at the same time, you end up not meeting. You spend years separated, in between try to get together but somehow it does not work every time. In this movie, although the love (which looked like one sided) and at-first sight, devil appeared in the details and it never worked out. Such stories keep the viewers at the tenterhooks, who while secretly praying that the two meet again, also wonder if the movie were ‘happy ending’ or not. To the viewers, the two characters look foolish – that they were letting go something which was so amazing and pure. But how we look at ourselves is different from how we actually are. It is indeed foolishness to meet someone you get along so very well with, the person is so very interested in you, but you somehow you become too ‘wise’ and skeptic and let him/her go. It is indeed foolishness because that sacred liking is very hard to find and in most of probability you won’t find it again!

Not everything in life comes with replaceable or complimentary copies which can be retrieved afterwards. Most of the relationships are unique and what you feel about one person, you can’t feel about another. Hence it becomes very important to take decisions before it is too late.

I liked this movie as much for its ending as much for its story which was a roller coaster ride. I wish Emille should not have let Oliver go so many times. Perhaps one of the reasons why she was denying him was because it was Oliver who was making first moves and she did not find it interesting/challenging (as the theory goes) and hence became disappointed. But I loved Oliver’s character – he was so honest and pure.

Anyways, let me conclude this by saying that I loved this movie.

- Rahul

[#Politics] Irom Sharmila Losing Elections in Manipur

Among the medley of news on recently held assembly elections, one small news item said that Irom Sharmila who was fighting election against Manipur CM got only 90 votes and has quit politics now, vowing not to fight elections again. 

Irom, known as "Iron Lady", had done hunger strike for 16 long years protesting against Armed Forces Special Powers Act which grants special power to the security forces to search property without warrant and arrest people on suspicion of acting against the state. Such harsh a law is applicable only in the North Eastern states and in J&K, obviously because there are powerful separatist and insurgent forces working in these regions against the republic. 

Irom was not alone in her fight against AFSPA and her long hunger strike of course won't be possible without people's support for her cause. She was not untouched from politics; from Anna Hazare to Mamata Banerjee to Communist Party, all have been in touch with her in the past. Not to speak of social organizations who have rallied around her. She has received several international prizes commending her for human rights and non-violence; including Amnesty International and Asian Human Rights Commission. 

It is unbelievable how she was able to manage only 90 votes.  

Her 16 years long fast ended just last year in 2016; meaning she won't have lost relevance in public's memory. She was born and brought up in Manipur and lives there; meaning she was no outsider to the state. She is known all over India due to her hunger strike and her noble cause and hence the locals would definitely have positive opinion about her. The results of assembly elections including the high number of seats won by the BJP indicate that people were looking for a change. Then what happened that she got only 90 votes? Why would the masses who were with her during her hunger strike suddenly abandon her? What does her defeat tell about Indian democracy - positive or negative?

I think the fact that she lost elections in this manner tells good about Indian democracy. I guess people were aware that despite being a good person with a noble cause, she was unprepared and lacked political experience to make actual changes. Also, spending decades on a single purpose of repealing AFSPA did not raise confidence in people that she would be able to take the state forward in all counts of important issues like employment, security, health and education, which do matter to people. Her decision to "aim too high" by fighting against the CM would also have backfired against her; as people judged her by comparing her with the CM who was a senior leader. Looking at opposition party BJP's numbers, it appears that she would have done much better had she joined and fought on a BJP ticket. But the mature and "unsentimental" manner in which people discarded her as unfit in politics, speaks that Indian voters are prudent and logical. They care about their votes and don't want to spend it either on sentiments or on single causes alone. 

Despite the valid reasons, one can't remain without feeling sorry for her. That is why popularity can be so dangerous - it raises the expectations so high that disappointments become more severe and damaging. 

Elections are called celebrations of our democracy. Then no festival is celebrated in all homes. May the losing ones be strong and be able to get on their feet again. Because life must go on!

- Rahul