The Talwars, Police and Media

I have had a disturbing week… however much I think about this Noida murder and the police reasoning it doesn’t sound right. I fail to understand how a father, an educated doctor, can do such a dreadful act. The truth is I don’t want to believe this version. Unless proven guilty in my mind the parents of the child are grieving parents and following that viewpoint I feel very sorry for the parents who cant even grieve for their loss in peace!

I don’t want to think of the surprise I felt when I heard the mother Nupur Talwar talk of the murder to a news channel. While Nupur showed all signs of a woman with a lot of strength what with her family torn to pieces (her daughter murdered and her husband in jail as the prime suspect) I must say I was guilty of judging her as being unemotional about the whole thing. Though the thought that she must be numbed by the series of events did occur to me later I am sorry to say that I had this uncomfortable feeling when I saw her tough exterior which was portrayed by the news channels. I guess I am as guilty as the media for acting like Sherlock Holmes!

Anyway I follow this case very closely not because of its sensationalism but because I want to know for a fact that Arushi’s dad did not kill her. And if that is true my heart goes out to the parents who have suffered so much..

The Bhang effect of Kite Runner

Had a long weekend (Holi + Good Friday + Eid ) and spent the time reading two books the ‘Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini and ‘The Caterpillar Who Went On A Diet And Other Stories’ by Ranjit Lal. Quite an eclectic mix of reading I must say, for while one was funny, refreshing and easy read the other was more serious and got me all philosophical!

The Kite Runner is a heart wrenching story of friendship, betrayal, guilt and redemption between two boys Amir and Hassan from Afghanistan. Amir is a wealthy Pashtun, and Hassan, his servant, is a Hazara . The story revolves around Amir who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan. Amir's close friendship and lifelong shame is at the heart of the book. It is a relationship that haunts Amir from Kabul to California, where Amir and his father move after the Soviets invade Afghanistan. When Amir receives a call from his father's business partner Rahim Khan, he sees it as a chance to redeem himself from the secrets that have always shadowed his mind.
The story clearly shows Amir’s privileged child hood where he is the kite fighter who rules the skies while his kite-running partner Hasan races down streets to own all their opponents' unmoored, sinking trophies. Towards the end of the novel when Amir leaves to Kabul in search of Hassan's lost son, the contrast with his sheltered kite-flying youth could scarcely be more pronounced. The book shows how Amir, who grew up being served, had learned how to serve others. He knew that the mistakes he made in the past had been forgiven, and that allows him to be able to forgive himself.
Another interesting point to note is that Amir felt ashamed that he did not stand up for his friend Hasan but in order not to be constantly reminded of his shameful act, he further wrongs him by falsely blaming him for a theft! Call it child psychology, hunger for his father’s love or plain jealousy ( as his father seems to like Hasan more than Amir) but it does give you an insight into the workings of human psychology! The book also brings to light the rich culture and history of Afghan and the oppression of the Hazaras by the Pashtun and then in the hands of the Taliban.

To sum up my experience reading this book, i could feel every emotion that Amir and Hassan experienced as my personal experience. The decisions that each of them had to make, I felt that I had to make. This is especially true for the character of Amir, as the story has been narated from his point of view. I could literally feel every emotion that he described.
Kite runner makes you search yourself, and ask yourself what kind of person you are? Would you do the same in Amir or Hassan's place?
And finally the line ‘For you a thousand times over’ … sigh, read it u will know what I mean!
Update did some research on Hazaras :
Hazāras are people residing in the central region of Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims and are said to have Mongolian descent. They are found in large numbers in neighboring Iran, primarily as refugees, and as diaspora around the world.
In their modern history, Hazaras have faced several wars and forced displacements. Since the beginnings of modern Afghanistan in the mid 18th century, Hazaras have faced persecution from the Pashtuns and have been forced to flee from many parts of today's Afghanistan to Hazarajat.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, an international coalition intervened in Afghanistan and removed the Taliban from power and effectively saved the Hazaras from ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Taliban. Since then, the situation for Hazaras in Afghanistan has changed but how much …?

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

Partner was off to Dubai.. took the opportunity to do shopping for the house.. new curtains couple of cushion covers, some photo frames ah the joy one gets out of unrestricted shopping! I made up my mind to chill out at home after work, so did the most modest dinners and curled up with a book i bought in one of my shopping expeditions, a book called Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.



To cut a long story (936 pages!) short, Shantaram is the name given to Mr. Lindsay, or Linbaba, the larger-than-life hero. It means "man of God's peace," which is what the Indian people know of Lin. What they do not know is that prior to his arrival in Bombay he escaped from an Australian prison where he had begun serving a 19-year sentence. He served two years and leaped over the wall. He was imprisoned for a string of armed robberies performed to support his heroin addiction, which started when his marriage fell apart and he lost custody of his daughter.

Just when u think that’s a lot to achieve in one life the hero lands in Bombay with little money, an assumed name, false papers, an untellable past, and no plans for the future. Fortunately, he meets Prabaker right away, a sweet, smiling man who is a street guide. He takes to Lin immediately, eventually introducing him to his home village, where they end up living for six months. When they return to Bombay, they take up residence in a sprawling illegal slum of 25,000 people and Linbaba becomes the resident "doctor." With a prison knowledge of first aid and whatever medicines he can cadge from doing trades with the local Mafia, he sets up a practice and is regarded as heaven-sent by these poor people who have nothing but illness, rat bites, dysentery, and anemia. He also meets Karla, an enigmatic Swiss-American woman, with whom he falls in love. I must admit I found the Karla women quiet suspicious right from the beginning ..sigh!

The book talks about the seedy side of Colaba’s bylanes and the dark world of drugs, dons and slums. It is an uncut version of the poverty and sleaze in Mumbai. What struck me abt the book was the genuine love the narrator had for india especially when he was living in the slums..which to me is indian poverty at its worst! The genuineness of the narrator also struck a cord and I found myself marveling his point of view which to me was very ‘indian’.

I must admit i felt cheated in the end when the plot unravels with Khader bhai, Abdulla and the web of characters masterfully woven together show there true purpose...but then isn’t that what life is all about! Many times the good unwittingly done to you, u realize was selfishly done to benefit some one else… you just happen to be lucky or unlucky as in Shantaram's case.

To sum up in John Gillespie’s words “Shantaram is a journey on two levels. Literally it is a journey to the heart of India, the land where in the author's words "the heart is king". Personally it is a journey of the heart through experience, from "Mr. Lindsay" of passport stolen to the affectionately nicknamed "Linbaba", and finally to the name "Shantaram" (man of God's peace)—the name given to the author by his adopted Indian family.”
Hmm I really liked the book, any one else agreeing? Do write about what u thought of it..

Good Morning dear want some pedigree for breakfast?

Selva: My wife is a bitch.
Ravi: Ya guess most of them are these days, just that u don’t know it when u r tying the knot!
Selva: But i knew what i was getting myself into man!
Ravi: U asked for it then!
“The 34-year-old farmer, identified as Selvakumar from Sivaganga district in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, fell on bad fortune 15 years ago after killing the dogs and hanging their carcasses from a tree. A few days later, his hearing and speech were impaired and he was unable to walk. Doctors were clueless, but an astrologer finally told him he was cursed by the spirits of the dogs he had killed. He could undo the curse only if he married a dog and live with it. After a long search for a 'suitable bride', Selvakumar managed to get a four-year-old mongrel bitch from a friend and had a fully-fledged Hindu wedding in front of villagers and elders on Sunday, eyewitnesses said.”
Well after marrying trees the latest fad to ward of curses seems to be to marry dogs! Just when I thought things cant get more bizarre..
Link attached with picture of the shy bride: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071114/tod-india-society-animal-offbeat-451ab4f_1.html

I am back!

Ok I am not dead alright, lest you concluded that after my sudden disappearance from blogosphere. Its just that tragedy struck...my new attempt to lose weight ended up like my laptop (hanging up even before starting) and my boss decided that I’m too good for a promotion!Oh and please don’t bother with sympathetic enquires on the last one, thank you!

I dint want to blog my feelings for the fear that I might be the next target of the media after Geethanjali Nagpal. I can almost imagine a special report on the ‘Dark side of the Consulting Industry’ and the Barka Dutts of the world discussing the stress and difficulties women face in order to succeed at work(read ‘get promoted’).Sigh, enough of that for now..

So here I am back to blogging and have even started a new one on losing weight! Its called ‘Cut the fat’(link attached http://cut-the-fat.blogspot.com/ ) and wipe the smirk off your face will ya!

Home alone

One fine day I get up from my sleep only to realize that I have woken up in another world.I can work play, shop, make friends, go out with them, travel and do all such things that makes life interesting for me but wait.. there is a catch.

I don’t know a soul in that world.

Will I be able to live there without my family, friends, people I love, those I hate and of course those I’d love to hate. Can I cut all ties with my current life and start a fresh?

A few days before I would have given you a meditative look and said "but what’s life without these guys'?
Come on, I need to get angry with my maid for coming late, I have to scowl at my neighbor who thinks our corridor is a chimney! Imagine not giving the lift man that disgusting look when he digs his nose while he calls for the lift and wait a min.. No fighting with your partner for the remote? Forget it!
That was few days back though. So what’s different now,you ask?

Well, i have been home alone and i have to admit i am loving it ... and so is my Television i bet! One more week before we get back to stressing it again :)
Also my maid comes on time these days and the lift attendant has changed! …the neighbor’s still a bum though!

What's on Sale?

Want to buy land but cannot afford it in Mumbai due to steep property prices, don’t loose heart my friend why don’t you buy some on the moon?

The Lunar Embassy claims that it is ‘THE ONLY COMPANY’ in the world to possess a legal basis and copyright for the sale of lunar, and other extraterrestrial property within the confines of our solar system. How can they sell you ask, read on..

" The UN Outer Space Treaty of 1967 stipulated that no government could own extraterrestrial property. However, it neglected to mention individuals and corporations. Therefore, under laws dating back from early US settlers, it was possible to stake a claim for land, and register it with the US Government Office of claim registries.
A declaration of ownership was filed with the United Nations as well as the US and Russian governments in 1980 by Mr. Dennis M. Hope of the Lunar Embassy, to ensure that a legal basis for the ownership of the properties sold here can be claimed. "

Now wait, that’s not all..
You can also name a star for 54$ and you get a certificate personalized with the star name, date and coordinates along with a sky chart containing the star name, the constellation and the location of the star circled in red in the sky! So for all you Romeos out there, this could be your next Valentine gift!!

And finally, last December, the Chaoyang District People’s Court ruled against the company’s proposal to sell green plastic bags full of air from stadiums that hosted matches in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Li Jie, the company’s chief executive officer, had planned to sell the bags to soccer fans for 50 yuan ($6.60) each.

Big deal! What’s new, we have been naming our mountains for ages and that too for free!

What, haven’t you seen names of couples on rocks in our hill stations?