Saturday, February 14, 2009

Counter View on Pub culture


Why pub culture is forbidden in India? It is because India has a culture and tradition. There is a Laxman Rekha around women. Those who break the rekha have no life. Indian culture depicts women as Sita Devi even though she had only agony all her life. Sree Rama’s brother Laxman had drawn a line of magical power around his sister-in-law Sita in order to protect her. But Sita forgot the promise and went out of the line when lured by a golden deer. The moment she broke the line she had been abducted by Ravana.

All men draw a line around their female relatives. But it is a line of control, not a line of magical power to protect them. Certain social norms have been made by our Life Setup Wizard. I am not against it since it is for a secure life. In this male dominated world men decide what is right and wrong. Be them rural or urban they carry certain notions about women in their minds. Today’s women cannot be Sati-Savitri, Radha or Sita. Men are not Pati Parameshwar either. They want freedom to explore. But they should not cross the line of control and put their life in danger. Our society teaches only girls to be virtuous. Virtue is applicable to men too. Actually Indian culture gives women hardships. Thereby female feticides are increasing.

I cannot support pub culture, not because culture and tradition. Pub could be a place for crime. These youngsters could misbehave in drunken state and drunk driving will cause accident. Pub dance is not Bharatanatyam. The girls go about wearing tops with noodles and spaghetti straps to look modern. But they look vulgar in such skimpy clothes rather than modern. Pub culture will affect the future of middle class girls. Late night and alcohol will spoil their health as well. It is OK for upper class. They have their riches to flaunt. It is not wise middle class youngsters to ape their upper class counterparts. When they can’t get enough money to spend they may take to crime. These youngsters want to have fun and frolic only; don’t think much about their future.

Young men mingle with modern girls just for having fun till their marriage but they are not going to marry the girls whom they go to the pub hand-in-hand. When it comes to marriage they need a pure virgin. If these pub goers marry they cannot trust each other because they know each others checkered past. Today’s men are modern only in looks. Do they have modern minds? There are modern men who still doubt their brides’ virginity. Men will enjoy freedom even after marriage but they will not allow that freedom to their wives. After marriage women go the pinjra which is made by their husbands, not pub. In this modern era still men think women to be yielding and serve them. All cooks in hotels, restaurants and all catering services are men. But they cannot cook in their own home kitchen. If they step into the kitchen it will lower their dignity. This is the state of our Indian modern men.

Here are a few cases from crime files. Jessica Lall’s murder by Manu sharma, Priyadarshini Mattoo’s murder by her stalker, Bharti Yadav and her brothers’ involvement in Nitish Katara murder case, brutal murder of Manoj Grover by starlet Maria Susairaj and her boy friend, S. Kumar scion Abhishek Kasliwal rape case and there is a long list of crime in which modern youngsters are involved. If these pub going liberated girls think they can protect themselves why these untoward incidents happen in our modern society. Many cases of murder and suicides of young married couples have been reported daily in News paper. Not all cases reach the media. All these incidents show male instinct is not going to change.

In 70s there was only one place (Grant Road) in Mumbai for men who go astray. And three star hotels for upper class. Now in every few kilometer distance you can find a bar and there are helpless bar girls to please them. A few cases of murder and suicides of bar girls also were in the news. People misuse everything including sex, which is meant for human existence.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Five Elements

We all are aware of the five elements—fire, air, water, earth and ether. Life on this earth is based on these five elements. All creatures are made of these elements. Vastu experts consider kitchen as a fire place. I don’t think so. We use fire only when preparing food. Fire is absent otherwise. Kitchen has a base that is related to the element earth. The element earth acts as a base to the other elements. Water has the major role in kitchen. Air is needed to burn fire. These elements are everywhere on the earth and in our surroundings.

These elements work together in our body system. The elements have a mutual relation with our emotions, nature and the five senses. For example, when we get angry its related element, fire dominates and weakens other elements. Due to the weakening of other elements heart beat and breathing become faster, perspire profusely, face and eyes become bloodshot. Anger can kill a weak and old person. Stress affects your health because it interrupts inhaling the element, air. If you remain relaxed and take deep breath the element, air will come to normal. When we remain happy and calm the element, water in the system will remain normal. That is what we get from meditation. Yoga exercise will keep the elements in normal state thus it keeps you in good health. At least one of the elements will be favourable to everyone. The unfavourable elements will cause diseases related to them.

Trees and plants also survive with these elements. The element, fire is absent in their system. So they need sunlight and wind. A seed that lies under the soil needs these four elements, fire, air, water and earth to grow into a plant. When four elements unite humidity develops which causes the seed to ferment. Thus the embryo in the seed develops and sprouts.

The seasons, summer, rainy, autumn and winter, we experience every year also are related to the elements. If there was only one season there would be no life on this earth. If we get these four seasons equally there will be no Nature’s disaster, I guess. But it is not in our control. When Heavenly bodies fight each other at times Mother Nature has to suffer.

Though we are aware of the elements, we ignore them. Since these elements support our life we should be conscious of them.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Donkeys, not foolish

It was a few years ago. I would go out for shopping in the evenings. One day when I was walking by the lane near our building a donkey was before me on the road to obstruct my path. Since it was peak hour the narrow road was jammed with vehicles without leaving an inch space to move along. The donkey was walking in a slow pace with its head held down as if it was ignorant about the surroundings. Fearing it would kick me I started walking behind it with its slow pace. What a lazy creature! I said to myself. When suddenly the road became empty the donkey crossed the road making use of the few minutes and with the same slow pace without turning its head and started walking by the other side to its destination. I was surprised to see its road sense. Other animals would run panicked here and there in the traffic. I thought why they call a foolish person donkey. I felt like announcing to people that donkeys are not foolish as you think. Surprisingly no pedestrian was to be seen on the road at that time. So when you call anybody ‘donkey’, think again. Humans may be foolish, not donkeys. They are silent sufferers. They tolerate cruelty of human beings. If anybody called me donkey I would take it as a compliment.

Monday, February 2, 2009

My View on the Sterilization of Stray dogs

Hollywood actress Pamela Anderson in her letter to BMC commissioner Jairaj Phatak has written, “Will you please promote a sterilization programme for stray animals? Dogs cannot use condoms but with the municipality’s help, they can be fixed painlessly, quickly and permanently. I hope to hear from you soon and to meet with you during my visit to India.” I copied these words from TOI article.

Which of these is considered to be cruelty, killing dogs or sterilizing them? Will sterilization stop them from biting? Instead dogs were vaccinated against rabies, it would be better. They say a female dog will eat one of its own litters right after giving birth due to hunger and tiredness, but to protect the remaining ones it will bark and pounce upon every creature. I have not witnessed it. And 1-2 will survive out of 5-6 litters. Comparatively dog population is less. All dogs do not bite. Dogs that bite should be kept confined.

Can we live without being cruel to animals? In one way or the other we all are cruel to animals. When talking about cruelty there is so much to mention. Isn’t it a cruelty to cattle giving birth every year for milk and sterilizing dogs? It is for humans who live against Nature’s rules, not for animals. We extract animal milk, which is meant for their offspring and feed our infants. Adults also use milk for tea, curd and other purposes. We breed some animals, feed them and kill them for food when we want. We don’t feel it cruelty when animals are being slaughtered for food. Mass culling of chicken had been done due to bird flue in the recent past for the safety of people. Hunting animals for food is age-old habit of humans. It is still going on. The irony is that we can kill some animals if it is for food and cannot kill other animals even if they become nuisance. People kill rats, protect snakes! How will snakes, cats and dogs that live on rats survive, if they kill them?

There were only bullock carts and tangas as transport before the discovery of the modern vehicles. Bullock carts are still plying on the village roads. Farmers still use bullocks to plough their farm land. Caravan of camels still moves along carrying loads and even humans on the deserts. They keep animals in the zoo for the fancy of humans and use animals for sports, race, shows, circus and carrying loads. They forcibly make animals do the impossible tasks. Sports, games and dance of humans do not amuse animals. We cannot change animals’ instinct. Snakes are bred to bite.

I find all these activities of humans strange. Taking care of animals is a time and energy waste for humans. Why do we need to take care of wild animals, our predators? There were human beings on this earth million years ago. Did they do it? Instead they might have defended them all their life. People living in hi-rises in cities become animal rights activists. Meat eaters become animal lovers! They do not know anything about village life. When animals become nuisance what will they do? Will they be able to protect people from animal attack?

Recently I read in the news that elephants enter into the locality of villagers and attack people, destroy houses and crops. They keep vigil through out day and night and live in fear. Encounter with wild animals is common where people live near forests. A few cases about leopard mauling people at National Park/Thane stretch in Mumbai alone were reported in the last few years. Suppose, there were dinosaurs, what would have happened to people? They would be dangerous than elephants or any other wild animals. Such endangered species become extinct for the sake of human beings. Bats population is high in Mumbai. These ugly creatures are a big threat to cattle. Fire-flies are a lovely sight in dark nights in villages. I have never seen a fire-fly in Mumbai. Pollution and fumigation might have caused their extinction. When animals become nuisance we have a right to defend ourselves for our life. If animals get killed in the defense it should not be considered as a crime. If we sympathize with all creatures no one will be non-vegetarian. And we should not use animals for any purpose.