It’s worthwhile to note that the constitution had provision for reservations for a period of ten years and till date it remains the same . So, every ten years the Government extends this period for ten more years . I don’t recall a single instance when the Parliament might have debated the sagacity of having quotas . This is in contrast to the thinking that went into extending the reservations for a period of ten years . The provision of extension wasn’t  intended to be used the way it’s been used . It must have surely been intended to allow the Government to not be limited by the time frame and at the same time assert that reservations were a booster shot and not a tonic . Reservations were supposed to give the required push to the backward sections and reduce the great chasm in the society with greater urgency ,but this was subject to an egalitarian educational set up . Reservations would’ve worked much better had we managed to provide equal educational opportunities to all sections of society . This would’ve reduced the disparities to a great extent and then reservations would’ve done the rest . Let me illustrate ,  if the backward sections enjoyed equal primary education , reservations would’ve ensured they get equal opportunities for higher education and then get suitable employment . The next generation would be on an even keel and could have done without reservations . Not only would’ve such a set up ensured meritocracy but it would’ve also ensured help where it was needed . This was how it was supposed to be .

We’ve strayed big time from the vision . Reservations have become a means for the acquisition of political power instead of social upliftment . Even today if the Government seriously wants the upliftment of backward sections of society , it has to address the great disparity in the education system in the country . Sub-standard education not only ensures that merit takes a back seat , it also undermines the aim of reservations as the majority are still unable to compete with the so-called ‘creamy sections’ due to their inadequate education  . Denying the creamy layer reservations is necessary but it will also have an adverse effect – undeserving individuals who just happened to have a quota ! To have the desirable outcome it is essential that the Government ensures quality education to all sections of society .

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Some of them sometimes don’t act the way you expect them to . Fortunately , I haven’t had much of that problem but I have seen guys who have and so let this be a message for them – It would be selfish to expect others to always behave the way you want them . And so before you pull out all  that bullshit from your stupid hat about a selfish and mean world  , remember that you come into this world alone and you leave alone . You have to take care of your own business,man .You can either choose to spend the entire journey sulking alone or you can choose the company of your friends and make the best of what you’ve got. Life is like a glass filled half way with water – you can either groan about the missing water or you can take the glass and drink up whatever you have (with whatever you have) . You will have tough times in life but the trick is not to let them encroach upon better times . So,just let those bad times slide !

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* Every summer seems the hottest . I’ve never heard people say that last summer was worse than the present , it’s always the other way around . ‘This summer is the worst ever’ is a staple line .

* Rain is godsend only for the first day . Within 24 hours , it turns into a scourge – manholes , potholes , water flooding inside homes and water logging outside .

* The chances of getting caught in the  first rain are exponentially higher than watching the monsoon rain safely from your room window . Everybody runs to their homes to avoid getting caught,then change clothes and run outside .

* Tea and fried delicacies  have an intrinsic relationship to monsoon . Even though the dampness makes it possibly the worst time to eat samosas/pakoras/jalebis but still the queues are longest in the rains.

* The most magical experience though is the inevitable power cut – spending the time indoors playing board games in the candle light with the shower and thunder for background music was pure ecstasy . Sneakily turning the switches was some experience too .

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Yesterday I went for a placement drive (Accenture) at Doaba. As soon as I reached there, I could figure out why Indian government is pushing so hard for population control policies. The whole freaking world was there in that little college . I mean billions of Indians. People people everywhere. It was a scene to watch. I thought of attempting the exam but all my bleak dreams came crashing on ground when I waited for over 4 hours to get my registration number and couldn’t get it.

So I with bunch of my friends decided to skip the placement process and thought of cherishing ourselves with a movie and undoubtedly ‘Raajneeti’ was on cards. There was enough confusion over deciding, which mall to go for. Finally Fun Republic was voted highest (1 out of 3 ) and show was at 3:00 pm. We reached the spot at 2:53. I quickly parked my scooter and went scurrying up to the window to check if we have a chance to get tickets. Damn it!!! See Indian population again . Yeah yeah, screw me!!! The only vote for FR was of mine.

So we enquired again and there was a show at 3:45Pm at PVR. Without further ado or fighting over the (my) wrong decision of choosing FR at first place, we headed towards PVR and this time it was a success. We finally had tickets in our hands. We still had roughly 20 minutes with us, so we decided to munch something. Of course, we were hungry. Native people would know how many options do we have in PVR…..so no details about the munching spree.

Finally we were in the hall with our GOLD-rated seats back and our bodies relaxed . I thought of taking a quick nap until the movie gets started.

Now finally I think I should give respect to the title of this post. Well guys, the movie was a complete stud. A brilliant one after so long. It matched my taste. I like watching political drama. If you like movies like ‘Wednesday’, ‘Ganga Jal’ etc, I am sure you would love this flick.

As the movie is in its starting phases, you will get confused. There are so many characters and your mind will be busy figuring out as to who is in relation with whom and what is their exact relation. It’s a complete political mess that keeps your mind busy all the time. You’ll keep on anticipating things. Every scene is in sync but you’ll realize this at the end of the movie. At one point, you might say—”Oh this is bullshit, It’s not the f**kin face of Indian politics.” Well well, wait until the movie reaches to its climax.

Also the promos are quite confusing. After watching them, I thought it would be a Katrina-centered movie but it turned out Katrina had a little role to play. Actually it’s a nobody-centered movie. All the characters were given almost equal reel span. Arjun Rampal’s role matched with his voice. Acting was definitely appreciable. Ajay Devgan always fits into roles like these. Ranbir surprised me a bit and he was good too. It was a kind of movie where presence of KK Menon was essential. Yes I felt this many times during the movie and the possible replacement could be Manoj Bajpai. Nana Patekar was apt. The best part was that movie had only one song. So that made it look more realistic. We don’t have songs in our real life. Right?

All in all I would rate it 9.5 out of 10.

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There’s nothing spectacular in a football match whose final score reads 1-0 . And if that happens to be just a league match,there’s not much one would normally read into it . One such match was played today in the City of Manchester stadium  between two teams today which couldn’t be more different – one being the most successful  English team of the last two decades and the other taking baby steps into footballing success buoyed by Gulf money . It was a classic clash of the new versus the old guard – One team prides itself on local home grown talent and the other  being a consortium of international stars and since they were city rivals the clash was always going to be high on passion . There’s something about these derby matches that inspires lesser teams to match their more illustrious neighbours . May be we need  these clashes to remind ourselves that passion can triumph over great difficulties .

The match wasn’t the classic derby match . Manchester City is no longer the poor country cousin . The vast amount of money that’s been pumped into the club lately has made it into a favoured destination of star players from across the league . United on the other hand were hampered by injuries to their captain-defender and came into this match after being knocked out of Europe and a disappointing draw from last week . The star-striker,who was snagged from a smaller club when he was barely out of his teens , started this match carrying a unhealed foot from a couple of weeks before . Trailing the league leaders by 4 points with the end closing in United just HAD to win this game . Manchester City too had a lot  to be fired up with,a win today would have pushed them into contention for a berth in Europe next season .

The match was going to be cagey and that it was . Both teams were more or less evenly matched After half time,United just had to push for a win . But every time they did , they came across an equally resolute defense .The ball had been kicked in for ninety minutes and every time it was headed out by defenders . Every time a player weaved his way into the opponents’ domain , a precise tackle would end the run . And many times, players would slide in with the sole purpose of hurting the other ! This was the script for most of the match,I repeat  ‘most of the match’ . In the last minute of the match , it happened . The smallest man on the pitch jumped high enough to head the ball into the opponents’ goal for the win . The ball kicked into the penalty box was just like the ones which had been kicked all day long . There was nothing particularly outstanding about it . But what was extraordinary about the outcome was that the smallest man on the pitch,who rarely scores over an entire season had managed to score and that too with his head . He wasn’t meant to score,he was old,a work-dog whose job was to tread every piece of land within the  playing field,he was the unlikeliest man for the job, even the ball was targeted for the taller striker right next to him . But he did . He did it not out of some heroic urge , that would be too flamboyant ! He did it because this was what he was supposed to be doing . He knew that the taller defenders were favorites to get to the ball , they had been doing it for the entire match . He knew that nobody expected him to score for he wasn’t a striker . But he jumped . He persevered and in that last moment when everything worth seemed done and dusted , he flipped the script .Let somebody else be flamboyant,he could do it better .  Sometimes ,you just need to put your blinders on and slog . Forget about what happened before , ignore what’ll happen afterwards and just do what you do one more time . One more time …

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But the point is that a lot of people read horoscopes . Otherwise ,we wouldn’t have early morning shows and dedicated column space in newspapers . One of the best things to come out of the media turning into businesses is that you get an accurate idea of what the people are watching . If  it’s on then people watch it . Simple .To begin with,is it even possible to predict the future ? Would every person born on my birthday be like me ? If that’s the case then it’d mean that the entire human population is just multiples of a handful of personality types . How can a billion Cancerians or Virgos have the same kind of day ?  I personally find the idea of  knowing the future contradictory . Knowing the future means having the power to alter it and if it can be altered how is it the future ? If somebody tells me I’m going to meet with an accident tomorrow and I don’t get out of the house the entire day then that means the ‘future’ was wrong . And if  the future can be predicted accurately then it must be certain . No action of mine will change it , in fact my actions would be the stepping stones towards that future .

Many studies have found that people believe in predictions because they want to believe in them .Every time an astrologer tells them their personality traits , people subconsciously look for these traits within . And when they find instances to prove that they have the trait , they believe the astrologer to be true . But even with all the clinching arguments against astrology , I don’t think there is anything wrong with people turning to it . An anxious person staring in to the abyss gets his spirit uplifted when he’s told that the future isn’t that bleak . A little bit of reassurance can do wonders . And so what if  it’s humbug if  it helps people . The idea of an all powerful God helps when one is in trouble . Knowing that somebody up there has got your back is reassuring .One can think of  astrology as psychotherapy for the masses . Somehow , I believe that this is what it’s meant to be . Wearing a red t-shirt wouldn’t help you in the exam but believing so helps a student de-stress . When I read the horoscope in the morning and it tells me that I have a great day ahead , then I don’t mind if it’s divine or not . And if the same horoscope tells me I need to work harder and be careful then it helps me too .

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And then one day I just got tired of it all . The anger just went away and the bitterness melted . I was still not happy though . When I thought about my situation I realized how foolish I’d been . What had I gained from my anger and bitterness ? I didn’t get my apples . Far from it,I’d lost my desire for other fruits . I ended up hungry and bitter . I looked at the mangoes my neighbor had gifted me and picked up one . It wasn’t that bad . I could see why he loved them so much . But they were no way as good as apples . But I hated apples or did I ? They were still as sweet . It was I who’d grown bitter . And so tentatively I went and got myself another seed . I have decided to take better care of it than I did last time around . May be I’ll use a different fertilizer or get a different manure .  There are so many lessons to be learnt from last season . If my tree bears me fruit this season , I’d finally get those apples .  But even if it doesn’t I believe I won’t be as depressed as last season .  I’ve grown stronger now . My failure has made me stronger .

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1. Because these are our customs and traditions.

2. Because that’s what is written in our scriptures. [Here I not only speak of the Bhagwad Geeta or the Holy Quran; but the Bible, the Old Testament, Shri Guru Granth Sahib, the Zend Avesta, the teachings of the Bodhisattvas, the Tripitakas et al]

3. Because that is our way.

Lost in the muddle of figuring out who we are and what people would say or believe about us and vice-versa, we have overstepped the crucial line of control between ‘good in eyes of God and ‘good in the eyes of society’. I call it the line of control because it actually does control and restrict our desires and thus dictates our behaviour.  So, if I invite a guy over at my place, the thought of what if someone got the wrong impression would creep into my mind and as my mama said, “Beita, we know you are right but you’ve got to adjust with the society, no?” So, I should be a good girl and sit at home and sleep before 11pm and do whatever it is that my neighbours feel is the correct social behaviour.

Being different is being bad. There, I said it. Hindus are different from Muslims. Therefore, they are antagonistic to each other.  An outgoing woman is seen as a bad example for the other kudis of the mohulla. A book-lover is known as a geek in his college. Marrying outside one’s caste makes him an outcaste too.  Not keeping the Karvachauth means you ain’t a good wife and bahu. If you speak your mind, you’re a rebel. If you don’t, you’re secretive and weird. So amongst scores of criteria and countless philosophies, how do you figure out which path to follow? Which one would make you feel that you’re doing the right thing?

Here is what I think. Being good is not about observing the social norms at all. I think that let us not be God. Atleast not the ‘God’ part of Him. Because no matter what we do, we could never match up to His goodness, or shall I say – Divinity. So let us not follow his Divinity because we would never have the strength to make the sacrifices He did. Rather, let’s follow his Humanity. The times that Jesus spent on the Earth or when Guru Nanak Dev walked barefoot for 40 odd years from place to place propounding His teachings.  Let us inherit their kindness, their tolerance, their forgiving nature, their gentle disposition. What I mean can be well summarised by the final extract from the movie Chocolat :-

‘I think we can’t go around…

measuring our goodness by what we don’t do.

By what we deny ourselves…

what we resist and who we exclude.

I think we’ve got to measure goodness…

by what we embrace…

what we create…

and who we include.’

There is a lot to be said but I refrain. It is well understood by all. Lighten up your spirit. Free yourself from the old tranquility.

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He spends his day hunting wild animals for food and collecting dry wood for the hearth, not to forget collecting for the six months he and his fellow villagers spend huddled inside their huts during winters waiting for the warm rays of sun to pierce through the thick veil of ice and frost. He has just lost his daughter to Pneumonia, the most common child-killer here in the villages of North-Pakistan, settled in the lap of the World’s toughest mountain range – the Karakoram.

He does not have enough food, nothing grows here except for apples, apricots, wheat and if they’re lucky, potatoes. They plough the world’s smallest fields with their own hands and sometimes, goats. The rock-strewn peaks and sharp edged cliffs do not leave any scope for ground-water, much less any fertile land. The valleys are covered by apple orchards, pretty as they look. The village school is a flat ground the size of an ordinary kitchen-garden where children of all ages (mostly boys), line up each morning to sing the national anthem. Then, they sit on the ground in a circle and scratch at the ground with sticks, repeating the tables their teacher taught them last week. There is one teacher for three villages like this one. The school opens only during the summer months. It is impossible to sit on the cold earth and scratch at the two-foot thick hardened snow in the winters. Their pretty reddish-blond hair is actually caused by a disease called Kwashiorkar. Most of these children have loose teeth due to calcium deficiency.

The village is a group of mud-and-stone huts with a hearth in the centre where they light a fire by burning yak dung. The smoke burns the eyes and goes out through a small hole in the roof, cut out for that purpose. The village is connected to the world by a trolley. It is a vegetable crate which hangs over a rope and carries one person at a time, operated manually. You fold yourself into the crate, and then you pull the greasy cable with your hands, sliding the crate over a five-hundred metre deep gorge. If it broke, you’d fall. If you fell, you were dead.

There are no banks, no doctors, no lawyers, no government. But when you live here, first things first. Survival.

This is the current position of more than a hundred Pakistani villages, based in and around the Karakoram. There are a number of Indian villages that are based along the outskirts of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (POK) which share the same life as the village I described above. It makes me wonder. What about the government, Indian or Pakistani? What about education, independence, sovereignty? But why would they be concerned about these when they have so many other more important things occupying their minds. Food. Clothes. Fire. Warmth. Children. Death.

Humanity and Socialism seem so superficial when you see these Muslim men and women struggle everyday of their lives. What they need is, a bridge over the ravine that connects them to the World. Proper schools that give their children atleast a basic education so that they can step out into the World with their head held high; proper medical facilities so that they don’t get used to losing their sons and daughter who aren’t even born yet. Proper transport system, so that they don’t look stupid losing their lives crossing over a gorge, falling from a vegetable-crate.

Did you realise that this area is the most fought over piece of land in the history of mankind? Yet, it’s people are so neglected that it’s disgusting. What is more important- thousands of human lives, blood pumping through their veins, their eyes awaiting the fulfilment of promises made to them by the Sarkar, their hearts beating together defying the harsh altitude and forces of nature; or a few hundred kilometres of barren mountains? You decide.

If you want to know more, and if you care, please read “Three cups of Tea”, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

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