A new role for SRK?

This country of mine is a country where people wait for days in a long line just to get a glimpse of their favorite stars. Reel life heros are bigger than real life heroes and this makes the lives of those stars as close to "luxurios" as it can get. I mean luxurios, not comfortable or happy. Well, that is a conversation for another day.

While I was reading the news today, I was stunned by a statement by Mumbai 26/11 mastermind Hafeez Saeed which said "Sharukh Khan can move to Pakistan if he does not feel safe in India". Are you serious? I thought it was part of Cyrus' parody show. It is a disgrace that one of India's most wanted who is mocking us in our face by roaming free in Pakistan is now inviting one of India's biggest stars to come "home". That is alright. I have long accepted the our foreign ministry and the government is impotent to deal with any of this. But I cannot for the love of God accept the fact that a person who has made $600 million from his work in Mumbai is numb after starting this whole mess. Mr Sharukh Khan, the superstar, is a recipient of Indians' generosity. It has not only raised him to the pinnacle of Bollywood success, but also enabled him to be at a position where he can be an influence on the new generation. Well, he is a movie star. This is just another role for him I guess.

He writes a letter saying he does not feel safe in India and as a muslim, he is threatened. Such statements feel like a dagger going through my heart. There are hundreds of young men out there who are looking into the mirror with glassy eyes and wild dreams. Many of them dream to be like Sharukh; and here he is making these ridiculous statements. This has drawn a comment from Pakistan's foreign minister who has asked India to provide security to Sharukh. Well, that just made it to the list of ultimate-jokes of the decade. A brazenly-lying neighbor and an impotent government has made me insulated to all this pain. I don't feel like before when my country is insulted like this, and that fact hurts me more.

Once in a while, it makes you think if the chosen role-models of mordern India are supposed the ones we need. A man who has ordinary people guarding him with their lives has the audacity to come out and tell that he does not feel safe. He keeps silent when due to him, the nation is insulted by the neighbor. I was never a big fan of his. Thank God for that. Well if he does decide to go to Pakistan based on Saeed's advise, we won't be losing much apart from a few crores in income tax. I guess we can live with that.

An intense love story..an end?

I watched the India-Pakistan match today, and everytime I involuntarily wished I could see Sachin walk in to take guard. Yes, Sachin retired. He will never wear the Indian blue again.

It just took a small press conference, but now I am feeling the enormity of that announcement. This means no more being happy at India's first wicket falling, no more waiting to leap in joy for that flawless cover drive and no more seeing divinity brush shoulders with mortals on a cricket ground. No more Sachin. The thought itself  is scary, disturbing. Accuse me of being melodramatic, I plead guilty.

For a country which is only captivated by actresses, politicians etc.; this man captivated everybody's imagination. A kid to an old man. I think he is one of the few factors common across generations: "I saw Sachin Tendulkar bat". Now coming to think of it, there will now be generations in India which will not be able to see Sachin live on the ground. I don't know whether it was correct for him to retire, but all I am saying is that I miss him. People told it was "logical" for him to retire.

Logical? What is logical in sport, especially with Sachin? Was it logical when he stood alone against the greatest bowling attacks of the world? Was it logical for him to be decimating teams along with carrying a billion expectations? Maybe it was good that he retired, when he still retained the divinity. No debates on how much the team misses Sachin, and even Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble. But we miss them too.

We are fortunate to have him in this country. However finally, the little master's love story with India seems to have ended. I am happy to have been part of this affair.If somebody asks me about the highlights of my generation, I will just say this: I have seen Sachin score a hundred hundreds, a double century and lift the world cup. I have seen Sachin Tendulkar bat.

Rape and everything else

My country was devastated by the recent gruesome rape of the girl in Delhi. It is probably one of the worst crimes "reported" in this country and one of those few which have struck a chord with the nation. I cannot but grieve for the girl's family, and also ask for the most severe punishment. However, I am intrigued as whether the death penalty through fast track courts is really befitting of our society. I understand that this is a heinous crime and it is natural to ask for castration etc., but is that what our society wants? They say, "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". Ours is a civilized society and we cannot let some animals get us down to that level.

Instead of concentrating so much on the punishment, should the focus not be on prevention altogether. Assume they are castrated, what is obtained? A few dicks. But the girl is still dead. Her family is still hurt and their hearts broken forever. How does this punishment achieve the purpose? It might make a million people satisfied, but does not bring back that girl. That bright future, that gentle soul. The other question is: why is the government acting now? Of course due to public demand, not out of will. Why death penalty only for rape? Is murder any less horrendous? Is child sexual abuse not bad enough to be fit for such punishments? The list is endless. The focus needs to be on having better laws and more importantly, good implementation.

The recent arrest of the sexual abuser is Bangalore threw another important issue to the focus. This was the 23rd time he was caught for this offence and the past 22 families did not lodge a complaint  due to social stigma. And we, as a society,blame the government for everything? After all, we put them there. This is a time for self introspection. We can chop off a few dicks and we are satisfied? What next? We really need to think how we can tackle this. How the kids are educated to respect people, to understand the difference between good and bad. It is time we introspect if our education system is good, if our ideals are correct. Ours is a country where little girls are still sold off by the family, where innocent children are married off for money. Yes, the punishment needs to be meted out; but I pray it does not stop there. The only way to make sure that the poor girl's death does not go in vain is to work towards ensuring no other girl faces the same.

The change needs to come from us. Our politicians have raped the motherland for decades, this one rape will not change anything. Unless, we are the change.