We all knew Saddam as a man of evil, who misused his powers to kill people. The day he was hanged, as always, there were supporters as well as people who got a kick simply knowing he would soon be dead. So any person would be loved and hated for various reasons.
Today, as the verdict was read out for Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt, the response was the same. There are victims of the blasts, who curse Dutt for not being a responsible citizen and a good human being. On the other hand, there are his fans who would have loved to act in infinite sequels to Munna Bhai and give them good entertainment.
The years following his arrest have done a lot good to change Dutt's perspective and also no doubt made him realise his mistake. Then does that mean the law should have been more lenient towards him?
According to a thesis that I had read sometime ago, 80 percent of the criminals regret their crime. So, they look forward to getting a second chance so they can reform/transform themselves. It's the most sensible thing to do, as it is always said nothing like realising one's own mistake and making amends to rectify the mistake. But what about the pain the crime caused and the victims who suffered? Will it be the same again? Never, life would definitely be different for them.
Everyone is equal before the law - the judgment given today definitely proves this. It is also in a way reassuring for we Indians, who keep thinking some people get preferential treatment and get away with it as they have the power and money. The verdict today has in a way rekindled hopes among people who thought law was only in favour of the privileged class.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Are we blind to our mistakes?
The world is no more a safe dwelling place. Violence is rampant and the blame games have begun. Our own country, being the latest target, has been conveniently pointing to Pakistan for terrorist links and now, when one of the terror suspects in the Heathrow happens to be an Indian, we have the guts to tell the foreign land not to link India to terror!
Lets be reasonable, just because Pakistan has a lot of Jehadis doesn't make it a terrorist state. Why can't we acknowledge the fact that good and evil concurrently exist. So why corner one particular nation?
Let me make it clear that this is no pro-Pak write-up, but a very unbiased view of the way we take things for granted. We feel the pain only when we experience it and that's what exactly happened with us (Indians). All these years, we kept passing the buck telling we didn't have any kind of terror links and now we are caught!
Obviously, reputation matters. So every person is busy preaching the whole world what a great country it is with a rich culture and why it shouldn't be black-marked just because of some people who chose to spoil peace.
Are we justified? It was so easy to blame another country and play safe all these days. But now the time has to come to wake up and take stock of things. Let's not have double standards. if we take the liberty to label a country as 'bad' because of few bad people, then let's face the music for the same reason. Why are we such hypocrites? Let's be sportive and admit 'yes it was a mistake'. If not, let's not finger point anyone and say it is because of such countries that peace is spoilt in the world.
Why can't we Instead join other nations and chalk out a way to handle these bad elements. For, the proverb 'United we stand' will always hold good.
Lets be reasonable, just because Pakistan has a lot of Jehadis doesn't make it a terrorist state. Why can't we acknowledge the fact that good and evil concurrently exist. So why corner one particular nation?
Let me make it clear that this is no pro-Pak write-up, but a very unbiased view of the way we take things for granted. We feel the pain only when we experience it and that's what exactly happened with us (Indians). All these years, we kept passing the buck telling we didn't have any kind of terror links and now we are caught!
Obviously, reputation matters. So every person is busy preaching the whole world what a great country it is with a rich culture and why it shouldn't be black-marked just because of some people who chose to spoil peace.
Are we justified? It was so easy to blame another country and play safe all these days. But now the time has to come to wake up and take stock of things. Let's not have double standards. if we take the liberty to label a country as 'bad' because of few bad people, then let's face the music for the same reason. Why are we such hypocrites? Let's be sportive and admit 'yes it was a mistake'. If not, let's not finger point anyone and say it is because of such countries that peace is spoilt in the world.
Why can't we Instead join other nations and chalk out a way to handle these bad elements. For, the proverb 'United we stand' will always hold good.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Innocence lost
Happened to watch the movie Cheeni Kum. It's one of those very artificial movie I have ever seen. Well a different approach is what everyone says and the movie has also won a lot of rave reviews for the subject. But why isn't anyone talking about the way the kid (a cancer patient) is portrayed here. Did we need this character at all?
Guess the trend started wid Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, where Anjali (Rani Mukherjee's daughter) tries to woo Kajol to marry her dad. Similarly here in this movie, there's this little kid, who teaches Big B how to patao Tabu. She must be some 8-10 years old or even less and how on earth does she know about the 'adult world'? Why in the first place are we using kids in movies to promote love between two adults. Can't we leave kids to be themselves?. The child might have simply acted in this movie, but the impact this movie would have had on her cannot be ignored. Her innocence is lost forever!
Why can't we give kids their roles?There are movies like Home Alone and Baby's Day out which have given full scope for children to be natural and showed innocence at its best. And these aren't mediocre movies but had a mass appeal. Even we as adults have enjoyed watching a wonder kid who makes robbers run around the town in Baby's Day out and also in the movie Lost in New York, where a kid who's left behind by his parents at the airport manages to surive at a FIve star hotel with his dad's credit card with his smartness. Such movies are what makes even the child actor and the audience think.
Maybe I'm the only person in this country who's giving a thumbs down to Cheeni Kum. But I guess the reasons are justified. However, there is one good scence which does need a special mention and appreciation in the movie. One most touching scene which is truly realistic is the climax, where Amitabh wishes to have Tabu as his life parner when he tries to bring his hands together in Qutub Minar, while the little kid 'sexy' is fighting for her life back home. Later he realises how selfish he was. This is something that is very close to people's hearts, a scene one can easily relate to. This is because more often than not, we tend to get so selfish, so self-centered that we forget what's the need of the hour. I give full points to the person who has beautifully scripted the scene. This is the only thing that's unforgettable in the movie.
Guess the trend started wid Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, where Anjali (Rani Mukherjee's daughter) tries to woo Kajol to marry her dad. Similarly here in this movie, there's this little kid, who teaches Big B how to patao Tabu. She must be some 8-10 years old or even less and how on earth does she know about the 'adult world'? Why in the first place are we using kids in movies to promote love between two adults. Can't we leave kids to be themselves?. The child might have simply acted in this movie, but the impact this movie would have had on her cannot be ignored. Her innocence is lost forever!
Why can't we give kids their roles?There are movies like Home Alone and Baby's Day out which have given full scope for children to be natural and showed innocence at its best. And these aren't mediocre movies but had a mass appeal. Even we as adults have enjoyed watching a wonder kid who makes robbers run around the town in Baby's Day out and also in the movie Lost in New York, where a kid who's left behind by his parents at the airport manages to surive at a FIve star hotel with his dad's credit card with his smartness. Such movies are what makes even the child actor and the audience think.
Maybe I'm the only person in this country who's giving a thumbs down to Cheeni Kum. But I guess the reasons are justified. However, there is one good scence which does need a special mention and appreciation in the movie. One most touching scene which is truly realistic is the climax, where Amitabh wishes to have Tabu as his life parner when he tries to bring his hands together in Qutub Minar, while the little kid 'sexy' is fighting for her life back home. Later he realises how selfish he was. This is something that is very close to people's hearts, a scene one can easily relate to. This is because more often than not, we tend to get so selfish, so self-centered that we forget what's the need of the hour. I give full points to the person who has beautifully scripted the scene. This is the only thing that's unforgettable in the movie.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Generation next
The sad turn of events following the entry of federal Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi’s family to make an offering at the Guruvayoor temple is disgusting. Which world are we living in?What generation is this?Do we call this an advanced age?If we are letting this happen for the third time, then how literate are we?It's simply unacceptable. We call ourselves educated and well read about historical reforms and Mahatma Gandhi's initiatives to remove untouchability. We condemn a movie that propogates such ideologies too, but in reality why are we blind? Who is to be blamed?To begin with, the educational institutions themselves are to be reformed. On one hand the influential and paisewale gets the best school to educate their child, on the other the 'privileged class'. Why do we need a column for mentioning your caste when our constitution clearly mentions freedom of religion? why can't we have a form to fill in some basic necessary details. We study loads about abolition of casteism, but this social evil is still in practice in our country because of which thousands are put under such embarrassing situations which sure is a mental torture. Be it visiting a temple or even getting married to a person of your choice, despite the fact that we live in the 'modern-world', there seems to be no liberty when it comes to caste. The system is very much prevalent and killing many innocent victims.The so called priests at the temple who did the 'punyaham' or the purification process because of the entry of a non-hindu, definitely need a hearing. What right do they have to restrict someone from entering the temple? God never made any laws, it's people like them who don't have a clear conscience who make such ridiculous rules. People visit religious places to get some peace but under the circumstances, they have to think twice before making a visit as they can't be sure it would serve any purpose.India churns out lakhs of bright students every year, who get recruited in reputed companies. The selection process involves a round of Group Discussion where students are asked to air their views on a burning issue and the best one gets the job. But the question is how many of such students who really argued in favour of or against the subject/topic stick to their views. When such an unacceptable thing is happening in one's own country, why isn't any of these educated souls or the so called future generation raising their voice? What they don't realise is it could happen to them one day. If the present state continues in future as well and none fights against such injustices, then then we are definitely going backward. Will there be an end and realise their duty to ensure a caste-free society for the future generation?
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