Rapes in India and Rape of Reason.

Lets talk about one of the most heinous crimes that happen in India, everyday. Rather every hour, I would say. Rape. More often used to debate and discuss, than being actioned. But, first things first. Here are some barbed and malignant excerpts/comments from our voted citizens:

“Rapes happen because men and women interact freely”, Mamata Banerjee, CM, West Bengal.

“I don’t feel any hesitation in saying that 90 per cent of the girls want to have sex intentionally but they don’t know that they would be gang raped”, Dharambir Goyat, Haryana Congress leader.

“Rape. That’s something that you see in areas in which western culture’s poison has seeped into Indian souls, most notably in urban areas”, Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief.

“As long as the Earth exists, there will be rapes. Rapes have happened in the past and will continue to happen”, Deepak Haldar, TMC leader, WB.

“They are boys. Mistakes happen”, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chief of the state’s ruling Samajwadi Party.

The last one beats all. Don’t you think ? I do. This country has gone to the dogs, literally. Its horrifying and shameful that the ones who vote on laws speak this language. However, more appalling is, they have just joined the long list of people who have infringed on the personal spaces of women in the past, not very different from rapists certainly. Sadly, this is the truth of this nation. Our country is definitely not a safe heaven for our women anymore. Female safety is one of the greatest challenges this country faces today.

Many pointed rapes to short skirts & western culture. Some ended to chowmein and cell phones as well. Funny ?Ironic ? I would say both. For those who still believe that lack of clothes on female’s body is the reason, let me take you to traverse around for a thought experiment. I will reiterate what I captured from one of the humorbeing’s videos by Nitin Gupta, CEO, Entertainment Engineers. Pick a female politician of your choice. Dress her in the shortest of clothes and let her wander alone on the darkest of streets & in the darkest of hours. For an opinion, will she get raped ? Believe me, nobody will dare to touch her. Because people know, there will be consequences. And that’s the precise point. Its not the lack of clothes. Its the lack of consequences.

We all are aware of the alarming rates at which rapes in India happen. Well, NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) places the overall figures at ~25000 in 2012 & ~34000 in 2013. Its statistics exclaims that almost 93 women in India are raped everyday, Delhi topping the charts with 4 alone. And I believe this count is for the known reported cases. The actual figures are more catastrophic, for those countless cases which go untold and unreported, deeply dug and down to the graves.

We live in a country where our girls are taught not to get raped, instead of teaching the so-called-better gender to not rape. And when I say rape, I am concerned for all of us including children and males as well, & not only the female ones. After all, it can happen to anyone. Emphasis on the female side is more as men seem to violate the rules more and breach of etiquettes is morally lost.

Many firm actions still await to be taken by the lawmakers of our country, for those who even dare to think to infiltrate on the personal spaces of women. Pity, it still lacks the government’s attention it deserves. Its utterly miserable to say that we are not able to protect the dignity of our women, even after celebrating more than six decades of independence.

Fear the dark age, for it should not come.

Unfortunately, nobody cares for those perverted minds, whose evil brains need to be drawn out. Instead, girls are proposed to blame, at times. And rape still continues to plague this country. Since ages, if I must say.

See what an artist painted. Challenging. Isn’t it ??

Ambassador – The Iconic Indian Limousine.

Ambassador – The Car of India.

The iconic Amby, easily recognisable and affectionately known car on the indian roads, was the first car to be manufactured in India. The solid coloured body with its crushed velvety interiors, Indians loved it since its inception. Despite being the first car in India, it’s dependability, spaciousness and comfort factor made it the most preferred car for generations of Indians.

It remained a choice of a massive share of bureaucrats and politicians since its origin in India. Preferably, in solid whites and with a red beacon at the top. The former president of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Bharat Ratna awardee also preferred to travel in the old Ambassador car (without the beacon and the VIP cap). The prime ministerial motorcade consisted of a string of cream ambassadors and this more than 40 year old workhorse remained the official vehicle of senior politicians, top civil servants, judges and generals.

Hindustan Motors (HM), India’s oldest car maker, was the manufacturer of this grand old lady. Having its British origins, hindustan motors brought its operations to India in mid 1950’s. The company rolled out its first car on the Indian roads in 1958.

This grand old lady ruled the indian roads for almost 5 decades and carved a special niche for itself in the passenger car segment. Till 1980’s, it commanded more than 70% of the market share. Premier Padmini, manufactured by Fiat, claimed the rest 30%. By the late 80’s, the scenario changed drastically with the entry of MUL (Maruti Udyog Ltd.). The MUL’s Maruti 800, a small and efficient car, made MUL the market leader, leaving HM way behind in the market shares. Only after 1997, HM was able to Joint Venture with other companies, but was too late till then. Its premium market share was eaten up by MUL and Honda.

Analysts opinioned that HM’s condition was a result of its lax management policies and shortsightedness. Before MUL, HM was the marker leader. HM was able to sell whatever it produced and therefore it did not cared to upgrade the technology or production facilities. It just remained concentrated on just one car i.e. Ambassador, even whose design was hardly changed in the span of 60 years.

On May 25th, 2014, the production of this iconic indian car went to its graves. It was suspended, to stop further bleeding of the company on accounts of finances, in addition to the lack of vehicle’s demand. The Uttarpara plant in West Bengal was shutdown, which used to roll out cars which once defined the country’s elite class. In a statement Hindustan Motors blamed the shutdown on “worsening conditions at its plant which included very low productivity, growing indiscipline, critical shortage of funds, lack of demand for its core product the Ambassador and large accumulation of liabilities”.

The car still remains popular with taxi drivers along with a couple of Amby fans and tourists looking for a bit of nostalgia on india trips. Even today, a visit to India isn’t complete without a ride in the backseat of an Ambassador. Isn’t it ?

India’s leading auto designer Dilip Chhabria once quoted, “Had HM (Hindustan Motors) continued to evolve the Amby over the past 60 years without changing the DNA, it would have been the Rolls Royce of India “.

THE CAR OF INDIA.

Stories worth $haring #1 : An interesting ethical dilemma

#An interesting ethical dilemma

A group of kids were playing near the railway tracks. To be precise, there were two of them. One still in use, other one abondoned. All were playing on the operational track, except for one who played on the abandoned one.

The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed.

Or would you rather let the train go its way ? Think.

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.

 

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.

 

While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.

“Remember that what’s right isn’t always popular… and what’s popular isn’t always right.”

Rear seats in Cars tend to have greater powers. Apparently, for most of us !

Driving in India is undoubtedly one hell of a nightmare. We all agree on this. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. Typically, Everyone. Endless vehicles honking on the city roads, to an extent that even a deaf person can bleed through one’s eyes and ears. I am sorry for being rude but thats the fact we need to acknowledge. Believe me, the situation is abysmal.

But today, here I am, to discuss something different. You might have noticed that there is a different occupational community which serves for car owners, that we have contemplated since ages. Precisely, for those who could afford the luxury of cars, not today, but a decade back I would say. The driver or the chauffeur. 

I have noticed a thing every now and then. As soon as we roll down our windows, we find in many cars, the seat adjacent to the drivers’ , empty. In most of them. Haven’t you ? The driver drives, and provides the service for which he is obliged to. On the other hand, the owners sit behind and direct.

In India, we love to direct others.

Ever wondered, why do we do that ? Why we sit behind ? Is it really necessary ? Let me tell you. It simply exclaims, “The person driving is nowhere related and on my payroll for the services he is here to offer.” Nevertheless, it helps in manoeuvring our rich facade, for The People, if I must say. True. Isn’t it ?

Some might exhale safety. But I don’t think its about our safety. Let me take you to the core of your insides, it might hurt though. We might say that mostly drivers are males and so ladies don’t want to sit beside them. There is a distance that needs to be maintained, at times in the name of professionalism and hence one adheres to it. But the same lady wouldn’t hesitate to sit next to the person, who she might have just met an hour ago at the bar or a party. While the driver we were talking about might have been serving the family for years. Where are we safer actually ? Are we infiltrating to our own safety ? The question is still there, waiting to be answered, somewhere sneaking from the dark corridors.

Our position in the car definitely establishes power. Well, in India at least. The big bureaucrats, CEOs & COOs of companies, rich businessmen and last but not the least, our politicians are often seen as reading newspapers on the rear seats of cars, coats hung by the side, while their drivers try to crusade them through dusty crowded roads of the city. This surely displays overt power. An onlooker on the bike, actually turns and looks at the car, dreaming himself in those tinted glasses, somewhere in the near future. That dream dramatically includes the driver in the front seat. A never ending cycle of social inequalities.

If someone employs a driver, then undoubtedly they belong to the creamy layer of the middle class atleast, if not the upper one. And, drivers mostly belong to lower income groups. We all know that the difference in classes exist, vividly. But I believe driving is a professional job, & it is meant to be dealt professionally. This

segregation is not at all acceptable and meaningless as well. After all, we are dealing with these trusted people serving us for generations, with whom we let our sisters and daughters wander on the chaotic streets, who picks and drops our children from schools, and seldom picks us in a pathetic state from the classic midnight parties. And in return, all we end up giving to them is the sense of offensive segregation, rather than the greatest of our compliments and gratitudes.

Delivering a million smiles. Always.

Many of us talk about social empowerment and equality but this simple act establishes exactly that we won’t change. Talking about is good but implementing it in our lives is the bigger picture. And a better one too. The irony is, our position in society and our status are reiterated by such social practices. We are too drunk either with power or to get power and this obsession needs to be ceased.

The Three Letter Magical Indian Word – S.E.X. !

Sex is THE BIG WORD in India. Don’t you think so ? Come on, accept it !

The mystery stills prevails for me. Why it has to be so ?

Don’t we do it ? Don’t we like to do it ? Don’t we want to ? Don’t we need to ?

Well, most of us do it daily, it keeps triggering nonstop in our human minds all the time, yet we Indians don’t find it worth discussing or debating. No matter we have reached to 1.3 billions, without talking much into it. And these are just the statistical figures for the year 2013. Now, don’t even get me started on the actuals.

In India, you have to check around everytime when you use this magical word. And I am not talking on doing it. I am just focussing on spelling it out. Out and aloud. It can be very difficult and at times embarrasing too. When heard unintentionally from strangers, people find it a bit misleading. They freak out, actually ! You might be confronted as a sex slave or sex-hungry-addict or a to-be-rapist (I am actually running out of words now), nonetheless synonymed a spoiled brat along with annoying faces of old men and ladies, followed by a subdued murmuring of not-so-appraising words.

Haven’t you heard the epic one liners ? “Good girls from good families doesn’t talk about sex.” “I don’t think your parents brought you up well. You poor chap.” I would say, “WTF ? Really ?”

We have this uncontrollable urge to hide it from the kids as well. The kid, till he becomes an adolescent and have some open friends, remains mysterious of the story behind the curtains. There was one kid in my high school, the sharpest of students though, had hardly any knowledge of this. He was unable to swallow the thought of father doing his mother, after one of friends revealed the truth in front of him. My father ? How can he ? Excuse me, its not possible ! My father is a very nice guy. He actually had an urge to thrash his father, before we convinced him on this broad subject and on how it works.

We are supposed to be world famous for that. Don’t you think ? We wrote an entire book on that – Kama Sutra. Remember ? We actually educated the world on how to do it and in how many ways you can do it. But still it is considered as a taboo in our own country, the so called Modern India.

From 500 million to 1.3 Billions in just 60 years ? We have nosedived into the situation. We know that. But talking about sex in a open manner or a girl (even guys) asking for a condom at a chemist shop attracts a different set of opinions, and that too judgemental. The eyes tend to switch, whomsoever near you hears the word condom, as if you are talking about an element yet to be discovered, as soon as you place your demands on the counter. We, the-so-called-civilised-ones find it too inappropriate to talk about it, but we don’t mind doing it on a bare street, groping in particular not being big-a-deal.

I am glad to see that today’s youngsters, in general, do not feel the same way. They like to talk it out and they do. Although they receive more criticisms than appreciations, but they are more than happy in doing that. Consider me one. I believe these numbers are rising as well. We need to understand that its completely natural.

Its best to say that, the soon more people find this worthy enough to talk about, the better it will be for the society and the individual. The least, it will reduce the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases, better education of children about sex, abolish unprotected intercourse and the list goes on.

I believe if we can do it every now and then, we can anyway talk about it and educate others. 

Traffic Congestions in India: Tragedy of the commons.

Have you seen policemen near traffic signals ? Ever wondered, do we really need one of them there ?

We all know the answers, aren’t we ?

We all are educated ones here. Well, most of us. Yet, somehow we fail to understand some basic etiquettes of our daily lives.

Well ! Traffic in India is inexplicable. We all understand that. While walking on the great indian chaotic streets is one hell of a job, driving is definitely a nightmare.

As soon as we put our foot down, we realize that ennumerous cars, auto rickshaws, buses and trucks are crawling on the city streets, endlessly honking, ensuring there urgency to the destination. And nonetheless, two wheelers just add icing on top of the cake. They just keep sliding and slipping continuously between the slightest of gaps as if being tested of their driving skills, even minutes after green signal hits off the charts. Pedestrians seem to convoy carefree, until the blows go ultrasonic. The people who feel the most of heat of this chaos, are the ones sitting on the other side of the wheel. Moreover, all of the above contribute to the tumultuous landscape.

Do you believe in astrology ? Fate, Intuitions ? Well, I do. But only when I am strapped to the driving seat of  the furious automobile.  Even if you are a gold medallist in the field of driving (outside India), per se, here merely competing with others will be a challenging task.

Are we really incapable to handle this density of vehicles on our roads ? I don’t think so. I don’t think that the traffic density in India has reached to a catastrophic phase. Not yet, atleast. It’s all the mindset that needs to be changed. We all understand that being a developing nation, undoubtedly we are running a bit short on bridges, wider roads etc. But, I think we are better than we think we are. And, we can be best. We need to understand that honking noises will not move the vehicles at a faster pace, instead having a better attitude might be of some help. Only I can and will go first will take us nowhere. Provided an efficient traffic system in place, all we need to need to do move swiftly in a calm and composed manner, adhering to the traffic rules, most importantly.

Have you ever been to New York ? In no way it is less crowded than the standard metro indian cities. But one thing is definitely miraculous about the place. Apart from its tall and glittery skyscrapers, silence is one of the remarkable things which will hit you once you enter the city. They have bulging over crowded roads, yet nobody horns, not even at signals. Nobody seems to be in too much hurry. And I believe it is one of the greatest possessions for them and lessons for us to learn and grow.

I dream of the day when we will understand that we are only responsible for our own miseries and letting go of it or waiting for others to get you out of it will not help. As Mahatma Gandhi once said,” Be the change you want to see in the world !”

A glimpse of traffic tragedy in India.

Here, on our motherland, everyone seems to be in a hurry. Yet, nobody reaches on time. Ironic, isn’t it ?

Incredible India. Really ??

We have always believed to live in an Incredible India. A country that has so much to give for. Accounting for various rich cultures, traditions, heritage etc. to being called the “Golden Bird”, we profoundly enunciate these whenever we find an excuse, let it be time or occasion, staging our patriotism to the apex. Sometimes I wonder, are we really that great ? Just close your eyes for a while and ask yourself the same question. Thrice.

Obviously there are no easy answers. In some ways, we truly are but in others we aren’t. I am sorry but we will have to accept that.

Sometimes, I personally believe that we have always strived to live as hypocrites though out our lives, since ages. This is just my personal opinion and has been written with no intention to hurt anyone in any way. In fact, hypocrisy is all revolving around us. We make some ground rules and undoubtedly some of them are good ones indeed. The same ethics and values do stand correct for a set of people but ironically some fall apart and go invalid in case we (supposedly) consider a different set of homo sapiens. People change and so do their beliefs. We make our pain and sufferings rise to heights, enunciating the misery of life just to embrace the so-called social status in the face of society. A whopping dowry ensures the status, while no one cares if one crumbles to accumulate bread and butter afterwards. Parents want to imbibe the entire oxford dictionary into their kids and typically every kid in the country is expected to turn out to become the greatest of engineers and doctors. On the other hand, they can’t afford letting their kids to see some of hollywood movies as they are just believed to be sexual emoticons and thereby try to dogmatise the child’s beliefs as well.

An Indian Classic. Isn’t it ?

I totally agree that the entire world cannot be summarised on a single point of view. People need to grow, open up, especially the kids as they are the future of society and country. Apart from a few exceptions, I can confidently argue that most of the kids in our country are not allowed to pick a career of their own choice. I mean what more of an ironical side can you expect ? Sadly, this is our tragic lifestyle. We always do things affirmatively to impress others, those others who can hardly pronounce our existence on the planet. One is allowed to stab another in front of an entire mob and no one utters a word, while a kiss to your loved ones can be more shameful, offensive and dangerous to your health considering the same grounds of society, people etc.

We believe that western culture is destroying us but fail to see that even our eastern culture didn’t turn out to be great as well. We always blame the west for eroding our culture. Which western culture are we talking about ? The same culture which provided us telephones, electricity and much more ? I will try not to sound biased but we really need to give some second thoughts before passing judgements on something. Or lets just say, anything.

I still can’t anything wrong here. Do you ? We are free, right ?

These are some serious questions being posed to our society, our India. I will not attempt an answer here as this is not my place to do so. The answer has to come from the society and the people themselves. Where do we want our Indian society to go ? Do we want to progress vertically and help ourselves build a nation where our youth can meet their aspirations ? I hope that one day our country will emerge as a nation that it is contemplated of. We expect of the golden days to come when one will get the complete freedom, freedom to live one’s own way, freedom to choose careers, freedom to wear whatever one wishes to, without any fear of being judged by any other individual.

Dialogue from a famous movie, “Koi bhai desh perfect nahi hota, use perfect banana padta hai !”. Remember ? which one ?

Hope for a Shining India !! Incredible India !!