READY for MURDER !!

This post is dedicated to all those smart punks who spend hundreds of rupees on first day first show of Harry potter series but strongly believe that  movies like “Dabangg” and actors like “Rajnikant” are deteriorating Bollywood standards.  Oh so Harry Potter is truly an ideal film for these world class critics when the movie itself is totally without any sense and is totally based on mythological creatures some of whose part is even copied from our Indian Mythology. At least people can relate to most part of Rajnikant’s movies, leave aside the insane stunts of Rajnikant, the great.

Perhaps people fail to realize that there is a simple term known as “genre” which is used for classification of movies based on their themes. Its highly unfair to see all movies through a single lens based on what we like. If somebody likes serious movies based on realistic situations, they shouldn’t humiliate Salman Khan for being a superhero who can kill enemies with a single punch in a real life situation in the blockbuster movies “Wanted & Dabangg”.

The first and foremost purpose of cinema is entertainment and not just public awareness. If Rajnikant or SRK can bring giggles by doing out of the world unrealistic scenes than what’s wrong in it? If somebody wants to feel relaxed and watch a funny movie without using too much of his/her brain cells then such movies are no less than a messiah for them which clearly explains the grand success of such masala movies on box office. No one should mock these movies if they cannot appreciate such genres.

Its another thing that there are is hardly any scope for serious cinema in Bollywood as we do not have enough mature audience for such themes so I believe that our superstars like SRK, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan ,etc. should also  experiment more with  realistic movies aiming for Oscars. We have the pre-requisite talent  for such movies but what is now needed is promotion and good publicity for their success. Aamir Khan has already proved it with “Taare Zameen Par” and Amitabh Bachchan with “Black” but what is lacking now is the effort for more as producers just want sure shot money and hesitate to experiment.

Let actors do whatever they want to as long as they keep entertaining but do  hope for genuine cinema as well as Oscars winning movies.

Re1/- Shopping

When was the last time u shopped for just 1 rupee and were the most satisfied customer?

This question popped up in my mind when I was wandering through one of the local streets of Goa with some of my best pals.  One of my friend stopped by near a local shop to buy some tomatoes. While we were managing to spend the meager hundred rupees that we were left with after spending all the money travelling across Goa, I saw a 6/7 year old kid coming towards the shopkeeper and asking for a “center fresh” chewing gum. He took out a 1 rupee coin from his short pants and exchanged it with the gum. The moment he got that gum he was euphoric and he went back jumping with feelings of achievement.

It was at that junction of time that I realized how inflation in our lives has shadowed the essence of a Rupee. And all of a sudden I was lost in my childhood days when possessing a single 1 rupee coin or note was like being Bill Gates of the locality. I was even reminded of a shop which used to give toffees for as low as 10 paisa. It was like the whole movie of my childhood days was flashing across my mind full of the images of my first pen, first notebook, first chocolate,  first whistle and all the other trivial details of me being a contented shopper.

Those were the times when I actually felt the satisfaction in buying simple 1 rupee things but now even a thousand Rupees seem insufficient for our needs. Obviously the inflation has escalated the prices but than our wants too have sky-rocketed. Living in a world with easy access to money through credit/debit cards, ATMs, etc., we seem to have got entangled in the pricey world of brands.  Where is that satisfaction which we had when we used to buy a chocolate as a child but not in today’s world full of all the possible varieties and multi-national brands ?   

Is GOA all about liquor, drugs and prostitution ?

“Here in Goa, liquor is cheap and women are cheaper”, these are the lines said by none other than Bipasha Basu in her latest movie ”Dum Maro dum” which clearly shows how badly Goa’s image is being projected nowadays.

Goa, an international tourism destination is now facing a major identity crisis as more and more people now relate Goa to liquor, drugs and prostitution.

If Goa’s image is continuously shown in bad light just imagine the harm it might pose to the future prospects of Goa’s colleges and schools as well as the esteemed BITS-PILANI GOA CAMPUS.

I am writing this post to convince you that Goa is still a tourism paradise and not at all an exclusive destination for booze and sex.

Having spent more than 2 years studying in Goa and after visiting almost each and every corner of Goa I have to come the conclusion that Goa though full of natural beauty is now unfortunately getting only negative publicity.

In the following paragraphs, I will let you know about the possible factors affecting Goa’s image and then tell you why Goa should be the most sought after tourism destination.

I clearly remember those times when I was selected for BITS GOA and my parents tried their level best not to send me here. My relatives especially pestered my parents by telling them all ill things about Goa. But still I managed to come here all thanks to a senior of mine who cleared all my parents’ misconceptions about Goa. And now if you ask my parents if they feel satisfied ? The answer will definitely be Yes !

I asked my friends studying in IITs and NITs about their college lifestyles and I must admit that alcohol, smoking and drugs are far more rampant in their colleges as compared to our college. People say a lot of ill things about Goa thanks to the highly exaggerated negative publicity by the media. Goa has always been in news for the following acquisitions:

1^st acquisition: cheap liquor is harming the society

Well, The Goa govt,. provides Tax-Free liquor for the benfit of tourists only. Goa is always in a festive mood with parties happening all around everytime and if Goans believe in the motto of “dance, drink and be merry” why do others take it in a negative sense? Alcohol consumption is rampant in each and every part of India, I do not understand why people create so much fuss about drinking cheap liquor here in Goa.

2^nd acquisition: Goa is a sex- destination

Many people believe Goa is full of prostitution and rave parties. According to Human Rights Watch report, there are around 20 million sex workers in India out of which Mumbai alone has 2 lakhs. GB road in New Delhi and Lachipur in Kolkata are the largest red light districts in India. Rave parties and prostitution happen everywhere in India. Don’t you think it’s highly foolish to term Goa as sex-destination when prostitution is happening in even bigger numbers elsewhere?

3^rd acquisition: Goa is unsafe for women

According to the latest govt. statistics, Delhi accounted for 13.2 % of the total crimes on women reported in 2009 followed by Bengaluru and Mumbai. Goa is far below in the list. There have been cases of rape and eve-teasing in Goa but don’t’ we have cases of even more cruel crimes happening on women elsewhere such as that of Jessica Lal’s murder and Aruna shaunbag’s rape.

What I am trying to convey here is that Goa too has its own share of social problems just like any of other cities of India. However, it is completely unfair to associate Goa only with liquor, drugs and prostitution.

How can one forget about the beautiful beaches, world heritage sites, churches and the tremendous scenic beauty of Goa which attracts more than 2.1 million tourists annually. Goa is such a peaceful and holy state. If you take a walk around Goan streets, you can easily spot Temples, Mosques and Churches all built alongside at many places. Goa is a perfect example of communal and religious harmony.

English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi, Urdu, Telugu, Malyalam,  All these languages are spoken here in Goa. 

Goa should be known for its immense natural beauty and cultural diversity. I state it again that Goa shouldn’t be known as a place exclusively for alcohol, drugs and prostitution.

The controversial lines of the movie “Dum Maro Dum” might help them gain cheap publicity out of it but we as responsible Indian citizens should help in curbing such false rumors about Goa.

What needs to be changed is the mindset of people regarding Goa. I urge you all to please clear your friends’ and relatives’ misconceptions about Goa and

tell them about Goa’s beautiful beaches,

tell them about Goa’s mesmerizing climate,

tell them about the cool breeze of Goa.

Let the whole world know that Goa is also a paradise on Earth endowed with heavenly beauty.

JAPAN’s FIXATION with NUKE

The country which is infamously known as “the land of the Rising Sun” has recently gone through the worst possible disasters and the losses are still piling up.

First it was the mind-boggling 8.9 magnitude EARTHQUAKE which shook the whole of the country by shifting it 8 feet to the east. It was such a monstrous earthquake that it even shifted the position of the Earth’s axis by 16cm.

 Second it was the apocalyptic TSUNAMI waves about 10 feet high triggered due to the Earthquake which wiped out almost whole of the northeastern Japan.

However the worst of all is the ghostly NUCLEAR Crisis resulting from the harmful life-threatening radiation leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant which continues to haunt not only the people living near the power plant but the whole world which is now debating the overall benefits of nuclear technology for power generation.

The radiation leakage is still continuing from three reactors of Fukushima plant whose cooling system malfunctioned due to the Earthquake as well as the Tsunami blow. The Japanese govt. is trying its best to avoid a nuclear catastrophe but it seems like the situation is going out of their hands as they are trying desperately to cool down the reactors at any cost using sea water and whatever way possible but the radiation leakage continues and people living in 30 km square area of the plant have been told to avoid going out and keep their houses air-tight closed. Their only hope now is the team of 60 people who are now currently working at the plant to shut down the plant to avoid further leakage. This is perhaps the worst nuclear leakage incident after the Chernobyl nuclear leakage and the Japanese Govt. is on its toe doing everything possible to prevent any further losses.

Japan has already been nuked twice during the Second World War in 1945 when USA bombed HIROSHIMA and NAGASAKI . Japan is the only country in the world which has been attacked with nuclear bombs. Now when the same nuclear radiations are coming back to haunt them again it must be really hard time for them. Who would have thought that the nuclear power plants which are meant for the benefit of humanity by generating electricity can also become the source of deadly radiations!

India too has various nuclear power plants and such disasters can also happen in India. In fact it has happened in India too when in 2001, Bhuj Earthquake struck the Kakrapar Atomic Power station, Gujarat and when in 2004, Tsunami crashed the Madras Atomic Power Station. However there was no effect on the working of these plants as these plants are designed much more efficiently to face such situations but the Fukushima Power plant in Japan is 40 years old which explains it all. So now when people question the security of nuclear power plants and the harm to humanity it may pose they should also realize that it is the most effective tool for power generation in today’s world and the new technological advances in science have made them very secure.

Furthermore just when we thought it was the worst series of epic disasters which were thronging the island of Japan and nothing more worse could happen, a Volcanic Eruption occurred at Kirishima volcano, Japan on 14th March and A large earthquake (mag 6.2) occurred under Mt Fuji Volcano, Japan on 15th March 2011.

Japan has emerged as one of the world’s biggest economic nation from the ashes in the past when it was nuked. Let us all hope that Japan’s Disaster Saga comes to an end quickly and I am sure that it will again bounce back to riches !!

TOMORROW, next week, next month, NEW YEAR………….

All of the above words/phrases represent the hope of doing something good ahead in future. Perhaps all our goals, ambitions and even day to day life tasks are dependent on them and we will surely be left handicapped without their presence in our lives. Tomorrow is as important for us as our Today. We say to ourselves we shall do this and that surely from tomorrow onwards…..from next week…from next month…in new year…………..

Our commitments with the future are just so many that we somehow fail to realize that we do have today to do whatever we want without depending upon  tomorrow. When we postpone something for future don’t you think we are allowing THE LAZY MONSTER  in us to overrule us?

If I want to go to gym then why not today? Why does it always happen that 1^st day of next month will also be the first day we see the gym for first time? Why does it has to be tomorrow when we shall start something? Are we afraid of doing something in the present?

Well I believe it’s just the laziness which blinds us and we tend to develop the idea of going with our usual routine today and overburden our tomorrows. We seek pleasure in taking siesta for the moment and leave our tasks for future.

If we really care for our life why do we need to postpone things for good when we can act now and get the benefits as soon as possible. It all can be narrowed down to what Kabir says in his infamous verse:

At last I would just like to say that nobody has seen tomorrow. We can just make assumptions about our future but we cannot be even 1% sure of it. Every tomorrow becomes today so why not use the TODAY that we have now to its fullest !