Gautam Navlakha Detention: Beginning of Democratic Despotism in J&K??

Yesterday, Gautam Navlakha, a Human Rights activist who has been frequenting to J &K for the past two decades was denied entry into the state. Interestingly, Gautam, who has been vocal about atrocities committed by State Government on the commoners, was accompanied by a friend for trekking this time around. On the other hand, State government had prohibited entry to Gautam on the grounds that his arrival can trigger unrest and chaos in the erstwhile peaceful state. The occurrence of events has been quite uncanny. It is anniversary of Shopian tragedy and the accused in past, has quite vociferously criticized state government’s stance in the controversy. Obviously, Omar Abdullah, fresh from recent election win, never wanted it to turn ugly hence, decided to pull the plug ignoring the possible repercussions. Now being dubbed as desperate act of democratic despotism, J&K government should start thinking of a better story to justify their actions.

For Navlakha, clearly agitated by the detention, chose to vent out his ire against the Omar Abdullah and co. saying that the move has been backed by central government. In his words, the top honchos of J &K government are nothing but puppet heads. And the other end of strings is with Central government. Certainly, whatever be the intentions, the act has drawn flak from all opposition as well as from most of the quarters of the society. The issue has raised two important questions. First, anyone who has radical opinion about current political regime in J&K can be denied entry, even if it is a trip for personal reasons? Second, are the demons of Shopian tragedy still haunting the Central & State government? Interestingly, if this was an honest attempt to salvage the peace and harmony in the state, well then, it has now backfired. Of course, from a personal point of view, even I wish the state continues to enjoy years of peace and harmony but with current round of events, it is least likely to happen.

90s Not Out: My Tryst with Bollywood Music!

"India mein sirf teen cheezein chalti hai - Cricket, Bollywood aur Shaadi."

- A dialogue from 'Dil toh Bachcha hai ji'.

Like everyone, Sundays occupy a very significant place in my life too. I can distinctly recall the subdued desperation with which I used to wait for this first day of the week to arrive. Sundays for me meant two things - Chandrakanta and Superhit Muqabala. Yes, my life on Sundays completely depended on these two weekly shows. And I strongly believe, many others will agree with me on this.

I may not admit this in public, but both of us (me and my sister - another admirer of Chandrakanta and Superhit Muqabala) used to cry secretly whenever electricity went off during airing of any of these two shows. God!! One can't even imagine the extent to which we hated city's electricity department for such bloopers. We in fact, envied every house in the locality that had generator. Mind you, it was early-mid 90s I am talking about, when owning a Genset unit was a rare thing. Even our sweet Mom's special food items (Rajma-Chawal, Chhole Chawal) didn't help much then. Our devotion to both these serials went to the extent that we prayed to God everytime electricity went off during their airtime.

While my sister was more fond of Chandrakanta (it was typical Mills And Boon romance with some magic and action thrown in), I was more drawn to Superhit Muqabala. For a young boy from a North-Indian middle class family, Superhit Muqabala was my getaway to land of dreams. It was the era when formula-based films were excelling at Box Office and music was integral part of it. For elders, cheesy and bawdy lyrics were corrupting the young minds. But in my case, it was otherwise. For every lafanga in every nook n' corner of the city, songs like 'Tu cheez badi hai mast-mast' and 'Tirchi topi wale' became the assault weapons on helpless, nubile girls. Quite correctly, they were 'Damsels in Distress'. If I remember correctly, these songs were even banned in some parts of the country.

Talking of banned songs, who can forget the ravishing Karishma Kapoor gyrating to the tunes of 'sexy sexy mujhe log bole' from the film Khuddar. Another song belonging to same category that comes straight to mind is Madhuri Dixit's 'Choli ke peeche kya hai' from Khalnayak. Of the two, I liked the former more since it had more peppy beats. Unfortunately, the song became an instant hit and soon courted controversy for having obscene lyrics. Thanks to furore among public (the so-called caretakers of Indian culture), the lyrics were immediately changed to 'baby baby mujhe log bole'. The music was same and so were the singers and music director but it lacked the magic which previous version had. Even producers of Superhit Muqabala chose to air the song with revised lyrics. Damn it!!

But some of the songs that did exceedingly well on Superhit Muqabala charts were 'Churaake dil mera' (Main Khiladi tu Anadi), 'Ye Kaali Kaali Aankhen' (Baazigar) and 'Made in India' (Alisha Chenoy). People who know me, laugh their hearts out when I tell them that I even tried to ape the steps of Prabhu Deva dancing to 'Urvashi Urvashi' and 'Muqabala' (title song of the film - Humse Hai Muqabla). But despite being criticized for one reason or the other, all these songs were unique in their own way. In fact, most of these songs went on to achieve cult status only because of Superhit Muqabla on DD.

Many people believe in 90s Indian music industry touched its all time low. Largely, they are right too. But despite all of this, the music created during these times hold a special place in my heart. And so does Superhit Muqabla.

Choosing a Career: Always Settle for Long Term Gains!

Choosing a career is always a dicey decision for teenagers. I can vividly recall the day when my English teacher popped the big question.

"What you want to be or do in your life, Ankit?", she asked.

While everyone else in my class had mapped out their career path till then, I was at my best, clueless! Trust me, this question was difficult than most of the Viva voce questions which I had failed to answer in external examinations.

As she waited for her answer, I, in response, continued to stare at her, thinking the name of any random course which I could take to bypass this awkward moment.

"I haven't decided yet, ma'am", came the reply from my end. After all, I strongly believed in 'Honesty is the best Policy'.

My English teacher was shocked. No, she was shell-shocked. And within a matter of few seconds, I stood corrected - 'Honesty isn't always the best policy always'.

What followed next was 10 minutes of Emotional Attyachar, where she voiced her concern over my answer and my laidback attitude. The final nail in the coffin was - I never expected this from you. Cliched, but effective. Needless to say, the rest of the day was forgettable.

But the question did left me thinking.

Teenage is the 'age of disintegration'. In this age, guys and girls try to emulate seniors and in process start leading a compromised life. Children hailing from middle class families are the best examples of it. Instead of regular courses, they opt for distance learning courses and start working. Of course, not a wrong thing to do especially when you are one of those who 'genuinely want to support family financially' and not just use this phrase in your introductory speech in a job interview. But unfortunately, they end up losing out on those finishing touches which could have shaped their career in better way.

I believe, in Delhi-NCR region, 'self-sufficiency' or 'being independent' is an overhyped emotion. Unlike youngsters in other parts of country, students here just out of school, start earning.

Recently, about a week back, one of my friends called me up to help her out. She was a depressed soul who had dropped a year and still failed to clear the prestigious PMT examinations. Of course, she was feeling miserable. The least I could do for her, was to give a shoulder to cry on. However, what followed next surprised me a bit.

"I am thinking I should get myself a job. My family is already feeling the pinch of sky-rocketing coaching fees. And I can't be a burden on them anymore. I'll earn, study and appear for exams next year again. What do you think?"

I could just look at her and nod my head in approval. Of course, this wasn't the right thing to do. Knowing the brilliant student she is, settling for second best option is nothing, but total waste of her talent.

I did this. We all do this. We always settle for the second best option in our life even when the finest option is up for grabs. I might sound very mature here but the truth is - our parents expect us to study, because academic success in India means plethora of opportunities, a good life, society recognition and not to forget, money. Loads of money.

My advice to all the youngsters facing such issues - Don't worry about your parents' money. They are earning it for you. Take your chances. Don't chase short term gains. Starting early in your life is good but not at the cost of your parents' dreams. Who knows, an extended run with your hardwork and slight luck can catapult to the pinnacle in no time.

As far as my friend is concerned, she took my advice and is now preparing for another entrance exams.

Recognising the significance of Media in 21st Century

As time has passed, media, which is acknowledged as the fourth pillar of democracy has gradually metamorphosed into a strong penetrative force that has the ability to change commoner's opinions and attitude towards an incident. Whatever be it but one cannot afford to neglect the significance of media in present times.

Recognition of virtual world ie Internet as an influential interactive channel of disseminating information among both the masses and classes has made the business of news channel, an exciting proposition by all means. This is the prime reason why almost every second corporate house in modern-day India, is expressing its interest in investing money in something similar to it.

But with the element of commercialisation cropping up, possibilities run high that the principle of broadcasting real news might just take a backseat. However, present-day dynamics do suggest that awareness level in common people is rising at an impressive pace but the growth is confined to a limited class of people which sadly, forms a very minute chunk of the total population.

Interestingly, today news channels whether operating Online or Offline, seems to be offering almost everything to their audience. Leave the news alone, you can now watch the summarised telecast of your favourite daily soaps; astrological predictions for the day, week, month and year and that every news which is concerned with our lives directly or indirectly. However, principle of mindless profiteering and cashing on sensational piece of news is leading this fraternity onto a path where social good subsides automatically.

Ironically, majority of the news channels these days has been operating on the above-mentioned school of thought. They slowly have developed expertise creating news. Accumulation of news, facts; their impartial analysis does not feature anywhere in their agenda. Although from time to time, almost every channel or media house tries to restore faith in themselves by taking on people whose actions have not gone down well with society as well as legal framework of the country. But then one cannot deny the involvement of a personal vendetta behind all this. I mean who can forget that abhorred act of Journalism where a teacher, Mrs. Uma Khurana was falsely implicated in a sex scandal on the basis of few intelligently doctored tapes. The violent outburst from commoners (again scripted by culprits) saw Mrs. Khurana getting thrashed and ransacking of entire school infrastructure. The incident not only stained the accused lady's career but also raised a question mark on the school adinistration's integrity. Although, later investigations revealed that she became the victim of perfectly-scripted sinister plan. She was lucky enough to survive the biggest disaster of her life but not everyone is so lucky.

Meanwhile, channels like IBN7 whose Live TV wing has been operating very well on Internet, have made it a point to deliver authentic news 24 X 7 X 365 to netizens whenever they browse through their website. Presently, they are taking on Retired IG of Haryana Police, SPS Rathore for her alleged involvement in Ruchika Gehrotra case. I hope this kind of work ideology continues to find buyers among this fraternity.

Live TV, is the most revolutionary facet of broadcasting business in today's date, thanks to Internet. News freaks who like to update themselves every moment, can now easily browse through any news channel website and if interested, can also watch the live feed of the news via Live TV feature.

The only idea behind this lecture is that if we try differenciate between good and bad, this world would become a better place to live in.

Social Shopping Community : Surging against all odds

With India looking more positive as an economy than never before, global giants in almost all kind of business are making it a point to enter into India at almost every cost, this is chiefly because India in the recent recessive times has emerged as a potential investment hub with endless possibilities in almost every segment of business to be explored.

But enough of intellectual statings, beating no bush around (like always) i would like to come to straight to point. Recently, i stumbled upon this Online shopping phenomenon which was this social shopping community !

Social shopping community, sounds weird but who cares if they are the people who are showering you with endless array of discounted shopping accessories, stuff without compromising at quality thing. Moreover, gifts, coupons, discount these are the stuff which we, as Indians feed on.....
so if you want to you can log onto this social community shopping portal..which is this shopcorn, this is a UK based shopping portal which i think will be launched in few days shortly..in India so go on and make the best of it ..before anyone else does it

till then keep rocking

hi its me ankit

guys and galz

this is me ankit. Although i am not a net-savy creature, still i like to waste my time in writing some stuff on this blogspot..hmmm...whatever...like every one is doing these days right from the legendary Amitabh Bachchan to Rock On! and Oye its Friday's sensation Farhan Akhtar...

but hang on i am only here just to be in touch with creatures wandering in this virtual world. Also one more reason, i also want to voice my views over several things (you can see why how we Indians waste our time) and in my next blog i will be targetting the election scenario that has been sleepless nights to guys and galz like us just because of the fact that we are young and this coutry needs people like us to make a difference but hey i am not against voting...keep that in mind..

so wait till my blog arrives...and believe me its gonna be a short wait..

signing out

its me ankit