black Mark ?

The Indian media and the Asian media at large, have gone all over town, hailing Dr. Haneef’s release by the Australian authorities, as a victory for democracy. While that particular emotion might have justifiable ground, to prosper, there’s a larger malaise that has gone unremarked upon.

My beef( god forbid!!!) is that no one seems to be asking the Australian immigration minister, who had ordered the cancellation of Dr. Haneef’s visa, ( “ it was done, keeping in mind his CHARACTER”), on what basis, he made his (un)sound judgement.

In any normal, justice dispensing process, Dr. Haneef could successfully sue the Australian government, for slander. Without any conclusive proof to backup the illegal detention, on the flimsiest of excuses ( he was a 2^nd cousin, for god’s sake, even siblings often have no clue what their relations are upto!!), an Indian citizen, was detained and his character was under scrutiny and then released, without an acceptance of a mistake, nor an apology.

But why blame just the Australian minister alone? After all, this is a country where a marvel like muralitharan is regularly jeered for throwing, while brett lee is held up for public adoration.. Perish the thought, this isn’t racism. But truth be told, atleast the judiciary proved it’s impartial credentials, by calling a spade a spade.

No, what really got me worked up, is that while the central government was silent and working in the back channels, the Karnataka government took it upon itself, to suddenly announce how it was helping the authorities to uncover terrorism related information!!! In the rush to earn some praise, the first commandment of law- Innocent till proven guilty, was forgotten.

A hapless wife was left to defend and plead for her husband’s release, in the media.

Yet another chapter in the 3^rd world, where subservience to the 1^st world( why exactly are we 3^rd? I do not know) continues unabashed. Where a Pakistan regularly throws it’s citizens to an American prison, for FOREIGN exchange.. Where India accepts a humiliating 123 nuclear deal, to get American acceptance of it’s nuclear status..

When will we realize, that today, we are the biggest market for the so called developed world? When will we gather our collective arms and flex them for our benefit? When will we start demanding treatment as equals? When shall we start promoting regional unity and pride?

Maybe never.. maybe never..

A matter of Alma Mater

forgive me, if i switch back to my school days, when i used to watch WWF..

" Finally... I've gone back, to being... a Newbie again"..

college just got over. Not as in end of semester. But as in KAPUT!! BANG!! Adios kind.

while there is the usual grumbling of what little good an education of 5 years did to me, which of course is the badge of the student tribe, there is an unexpected hollowness too.

This arose when i wrote a poem dedicated to my class ( which has thus far, only been appreciated by exactly ONE person). Here's a list of things that i think i will miss the most about my college.

1) unsurprisingly , first on the list are the 10 best friends i have made.. hey, i do sometimes get sentimental you know.. NOT!!!

2) The absolutely fantastic college grounds, which we made good use of. battles were fought, and invariably lost, when i used to play.. must be coincidence

3) even when i used to feel like i hadn't learned anything useful yet, there was always that comfortable thought- " I still have 5 more years, 4 more, 3 more, 2 more, 1 more, NO MORE!!! oh the tragedy!!!"

4) The ridiculously inexpensive canteen where even i could afford to hog out.. of course there were only 3 items i ever ate, but that's another story.

5) the look of respect i used to get, when i declared myself a student of ANNA UNIV.. and the inevitable look of disappointment when i burst the bubble and confessed to being a student of Electronic ( oh, you mean computers!!) Media.

6) My delightful class, with the 63 most decent and nicest human beings to ever have been assembled in a classroom. Exaggerated sense of modesty prevents me from adding my name on that list.

7) The 2 Funtastic IVs we went on. nuff said about them.

8) Always asking for a treat, always getting the same answer- " what the hell will u eat?"

and the worst part is.. now i am officially a member of that club, which i used to ridicule as a child. Now, i must become a pompous dandy, who must never watch cartoons again, worry about bank balances, careers, property, get acidity while keeping tabs on classmates, worry about that bulging waistline, try to act like 18, when i'm 80, argue to all that i do not wear a wig..

OH GOD, Have mercy.. i am ( GULP!!!) an Adult...

SONSET

The world remembers, not just those
who won for themselves, victories galore.
So long as you fight, an earnest fight,
no one cares, if you were dark or white.

Glory is his, who lives for the battle,
whose attack leaves opposition rattled.
A path to possible victory, one who chose,
inspires poets, to abandon prose.

Farewell to thee, prince of trinidad and tobago.
the last of the windies, around whom did we rally.
We shall miss , on the pitch, your waltz and the tango,
the centuries that racked up your tally.

How you disptached both pace and spin,
to parts of the stadium, crying for attention.
The way you surged past, Tendulkar Sachin,
became the best batsman of this generation.

The way you disdained from using your pads,
ensuring bat and ball, did always meet.
Never was a day, you moped around,
your bat made a music, always sweet.

The way you collected multiple tons,
when mortals were satisfied, with just one.
When you chased down a target, impossible they said,
you shrugged and got the job done.

The way you were atlas, bearing the weight,
while dwarfs around you, deserted the sinking ship.
We hail you more, for bearing the brunt,
yet never devaluing your craftsmanship.

You left, on top, throne never conquered,
leave it safe, from any usurper.
Walk away, son of port of spain, with a head high,
rest assured, there's not a single dry eye.

Never shall we see the likes of you again,
wish you luck, as you move on.
It was said, of Bradman once,
i say to you,
Brightly fades the don.

a fishy tale

well folks, a short one this time. some really swell people in my class, decided to throw a bash to celebrate the bunch of them getting a job offer at EFX. so, these mighty generous folks agreed to sponsor a smashing time at mayajaal. for over 50 people.. count that, over FIFTY people..

while all of us had a great time( well, i shall skip the lunch part, and paruthi veeran), my post ain't about the time we spent there..

remember the old adage, " you can't ever forget cycling, nor swimming!". well, it's evening time, and some guys decided to make the maximum use of the trip, and decided to wade through the swimming pool. while it took time for the guys, to shed their inhibitions and their clothes( they did wear swimming trunks, you dirty minded you!!!), in the presence of the faint hearted maidens(term used very lightly) from my class, eventually, almost all of us were in the water.

while a few were thrown in the deep end, yours truly decided that a dignified dip was better than a forceful push. so, i removed my shirt, causing severe trauma for some of the unfortunate witnesses( hope they manage to recover someday), and remembered the adage and leaped in.

this being the first time in 7 years that i went inside of a swimming pool, the first sensation was a slap in my stomach. before i had time to register the pain, my brain chuckled" you are so drowning!!"

all i could see were bubbles in my eyes, and then, GASP, air... before i could shout for joy, i was submerged again.. and my life started rewinding.. now, 22 years of garbage is a whole load of crap, to comprehend in 3 breathless seconds.. anyways, just before i could focus on Keira again( god bless her), i heard shouts of friends, asking" dude, you sure you know how to swim?"..

before i could answer " Oh hell yeah!!", H2O decided she missed me too much, and took me in her cold embrace again..

then, i swear, i heard my NCC drill master scream" get a foothold, or you never going to get your bread!!!".. the stuff of my nightmares..

somehow, i dug deep into my reserves [ which is about 3 kilos of saturated fat, at this moment :( ] and kicked onto the floor, and my head suddenly burst through the water, and i rose to breathe..

and i am thinking, at that moment " this ain't supposed to happen!!! need memory plus bad!!!"

well, as a souvenir, i have been struggling with a cold that refuses to part, like a bad ex girlfriend.. maybe, the bottom of the pool wouldn't have been that bad, after all..