The Anti-Indian at the Oscars!

On International television, at the premier Oscar Awards Ceremony:

 

Interviewer: “I will give you thirty seconds… What message do you have for the Indians? What do you have to say to the audience back home?”

 

Anil Kapoor: “We love you all, we love Mumbai, we loveMaharashtra!”

 

My response: What the heck?!

 

Amidst the pride that Rahman and Pookutty have brought upon India, there we have Our Hero, from Amchi Mumbai- proclaiming his undying love for Mumbai residents and those in Maharashtra!!

 

America brought to the tables a brand new term… ROW- Rest Of the World. Anil Kapoor has clearly indicated his contribution to this new phenomena- ROI - Rest of India! As a representative of 1.3 Billion strong population, Our Hero goes on to say He loves Maharashtra! What does India mean to him?

 

Next question for a Million Dollars: Amongst all the categories of people who divide the Nation, who is the most dangerous?

1. Politicians
2. Ram Sena/Shiv Sena
3. Forefathers, when they divided the States, in 1947
4. Terrorists

 

Answer: None of the above!  The most dangerous are the insensitive idiots vested with the power of changing minds of others, like Our Hero, Anil Kapoor, and the other is the Common Man err.. Not to antagonise any group.. Common Man/Woman.

 

Are we one hundred percent sure of the answer? Oh yes!

 

Here is why: I was standing there, watching television, all goose-bumpy having heard Rahman bagged two Oscars and Pookutty bagged one, when Our Hero, Anil Kapoor came up with that brilliant message for “Indians”!! Er… I wonder if that message was incomplete… It talked about Indians in Mumbai first, then mentioned Indians inMaharashtra. What happened to ROI?!

 

That was Our Hero. Now I will address the Common Man/Woman.

 

When the awards were announced, I was overwhelmed and immensely proud… Two Indians finally bagged the much coveted and perennially evasive Oscar Statuettes. It took a couple of minutes to register… Indians at the Oscar… not as audience, not just as Nominees, as the Winners! Wow, that is making History. India witnessed History being made. And just when I was beaming with joy and pride seeing Rahman and Pookutty being aired on every channel, my Mera Bharat Mahan dream comes crashing with a comment one of my colleagues makes.

 

“Pookutty is a Mallu. He’s from Kerala! In fact, he is from Kollam!” Er… what?! So, he’s a Keralite, now what? Has Rahman ever been looked at as a Tamilian? He is the face of brilliant music. He is the Guru of Bollywood, Tollywood, you name it. He took India to the the World. He took India to the Oscars. To many, he simply stands forIndia! Pookutty has done us equally proud. He brought glory to India. A glory of the kind that has never been seen. India’s first Oscar this season. First Oscar for background mixing. Pookutty has made as much history as Rahman has, atleast in terms of Oscar, for honestly, I don’t know him that well. But what shattered my dream is not that he is little known (Not many knew him till Slumdog Millionaire happened). What broke my dream was the regionalism that came with that comment. Ok, he’s from some place. So what?! It has come to a low ebb now. What I imagined were two Indians winning 3 Oscars has turned out to be A Malayali winning one Oscar and a Half Tamil-Half Malayali winning two Oscars! How sad can it get?!

 

And here we are thinking that it is our politicians and the Government and miscreants and Shiv Sena and God knows who else who are creating the unseen divide in the Nation. It is disheartening to see that it is the highly respected, reputed and popular figures like Our Hero Anil Kapoor, and the well read, experienced, soon-to-be-Global Managers  who create the dividing lines.

 

I really think it is time we stop cribbing. It is time we changed. Not as far as how India should grow and change; let us begin at home- let us begin with us.

Jai Hind!

The follwing is something that moved me immensely. It's here because I thought you'd like it too. Happy reading!
*******************************************************************
Yes,it'sTime
to go back to school.....

Yes,i want to rush
So that i am the first
To sit on my favourite bench
Nice and plush....

Eons since i sang aloud
Now,i want to go back
Sing the national anthem
Clear and loud...

Miss the aroma of the virgin,new paper
Of my new notebooks
Want to smell the paper
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Never bothered to write lately
Now want to write neatly
On the first page
Of my new notebook...
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Want to fling the water bottle
And cup my hand under the tap
Want to quench my thirst
With that tepid metallic water
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Lunch boxes and hygienic food
Take a walk
Want to gorge the iced tomatoes
And diced guavas
And cucumbers loaded with
Salt and chili and pepper
Want to cry
While gorging on the spices
And want to gasp for water
All over again...
Oh,i am dying to go back to school....

Let the cycle wheel be the stumps
The stone covered in the rags be the ball
The neem stick,the bat
Cricket has never been the same again
Yes,i want to go back to school....

Want to dream of pouring rain
While the drizzle starts in the night
For all the excitement
Of a rainy,unexpected holiday
For the dream come true
Yes,i want to go back to school...

Darkness creeping in
The ball lost
The time spent in looking for the ball
More than the time spent in playing cricket...
Oh,i miss it so much
Yes,i want to go back to school...

The plush foam and the reclining chairs
Hurt the back
The rough edges and poking nails
Of my favourite bench
Soothed my back
Air conditioned office
Makes me stiff
It makes me perpetually sniff
Want to sit in the warm classroom
No fans,but lots of friends
Open windows and cool breeze
Yes,i want to go back to school...

They taught me a lot
I seem to have lost it all
They told me childhood is the gift of God
I have come to fathom its meaning,now
Want to clear my doubt
As i always used to
Want to ask my wise teacher
Yet again"May i come in,sir?"
To clear my doubts and seek the peace
Oh Yes,i am going back to school.....

(Original gujarati poetic concept)

*Poet: Dr. Hemant Mankad, my friend's dad and a writer I have come to admire.

Blogging- A therapy

On a Sunday morning, I wake up to the sound of pouring rain and the familiar hammering of a headache. I realise my outing stands cancelled, its pouring cats and dogs. I resign myself to a boring day all by myself stuck at home. I forgot to mention there was no power supply. Oh sheesh! For the first time in life, I am looking forward to a Monday Morning!!

I brew myself a hot cup of coffee, carrying my laptop to the balcony, find a dry corner and settle myself on a cane chair. I log into my blog and am pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed at the responses and comments I’ve been getting for my last post. I take my time reading all of them, smiling to myself, mentally making a note to mail all those who commented.

Absent minded-ly (if there is a word like that!), I click on ‘new post’ and there I start writing… about the idiosyncrasies of life and incidents that make life worth living. About friends and laughter, joy and pain and rainy days like today.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting there… My legs have gone numb, my wrists have begun to ache and I think I’ve probably been drinking ice cold coffee. I post my entry and when I get up; my step seems to have gotten a spring in it. Life doesn’t seem all that gloomy and cloudy like the skies above me. Writing seems to have chased my headache away and with it my down trodden spirit.

As I head toward my kitchen, the power supply returns, the rain mellows down and the phone rings (It’s my best friend calling). Déjà vu? I smile to myself. I guess its true after all- Blogging is a wholesome therapy- and sometimes a miracle too!