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Happy New Year 2014!!!

Posted by ABC Monday 30 December 2013 0 comments

As 2013 fades into another new year, it is time for us to introspect on the milestones we could achieve, the promises we could keep and the hurdles that we could step-over successfully throughout the year. At the stroke of the midnight hour, as this year turns, we are presented with yet another opportunity to come to terms with life. Once again life beckons us to take a synoptic view of where we, as a society, are heading to, an account of all those contributions that we as citizens of India made to our motherland.


Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover. 
                                                                                                    Mark Twain


Indeed! To experience the thrill and exhilaration of success in life, a definitive goal is essential to which must be added enthusiasm and a penchant for hard work, an inherent desire to seek out problems and convert them to challenges. It is a shameful thing for the soul to faint while the body still preserves.

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. 

                                                                                                      Helen Keller

At this juncture, when life is on the threshold of unfolding yet another plethora of surprises, both bitter and sweet, let us warmly welcome the approaching New Year 2014 with great zeal and optimism. It is imperative for us to make new resolutions and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in our life, boisterously.


Here, I offer some thoughts and suggestions that may be pondered upon while initiating a voyage in the year 2014.

      1.       Make a New Year resolution :
Failure is virtually assured at the very offset because the resolutions are not made with serious intent and deliberation. It is crucial to harness New Year's temporary motivation into something that will carry you through an extended period of required effort. Often circumstances beyond our control crop up at the most unexpected and inconvenient times, leaving us baffled. So always acknowledge your partial success in you endeavour. 

 2.       Don’t reuse gifts as gifts :
Mirthful, as it may sound to be, but we as humans have an inherent tendency of reusing gifts as gifts irrespective of the sentiments attached to them. This has indeed led to commercialisation of relationships, the depth of which is often estimated in monetary terms. Every gift, however big or small it may be, has some emotions and sentiments attached to them, that ought to be valued and cherished by the recipient. Prudence demands that the true spirit of New Year be upheld by sharing gifts and not disregarding them or reusing them as present for others.


      3.       Organise a New Year bash :
Perhaps, New Year celebrations are incomplete without a boisterous party. Party hard and enjoy the company of your friends and foes alike this year ahead.
CAUTION : Don’t get drunk with ecstasy to the extent that you indulge in anti-social activities or hooliganism on roads. Don’t drink and drive, particularly on the eve of New Year. Carry yourself in a dignified manner and respect the morals and virtues of the society.
      4.       Enjoy delicacies at home :
There is no such fragrance that can compete with the aroma of a delicious home-cooked supper. Shun all inhibitions and satiate your appetite! Cook your favourite food at home or order it from outside, but enjoy your New Year eve to the fullest. (You have the next 365 days to control your weight :D)

      5.       Set a yardstick for yourself :
New Year’s eve is truly an occasion for celebration. But it is also the time to peep into your future. Instead of wandering aimlessly throughout the following year seeking solace in you meagre achievements, set a yardstick for yourself. He who does not prepare for storms when no storms are indicated lacks in plain preparatory wisdom required by any rational person.

I would like to conclude with the following lines :

Strive not to be a success, but to be of value.

                                                    Albert Einstein


HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014!!!
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Section 377: A retrograde decision

Posted by ABC Friday 20 December 2013 1 comments
 

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict that decriminalised gay sex is regressive and has dealt a severe blow to liberal values and human rights. Such display of circumspection in its jurisprudence by the apex court has only reinforced the stigma associated with homosexuality. In the name of societal morality and decency, personal liberty has been made a scapegoat here. It is disheartening to see one group of individuals being discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation. Section 377 was brought in 150 years ago in consonance with the patriarchal family set-up. Lawmakers then termed any form of sexual activity beyond the man-woman relationship as ‘unnatural’ and saw it as a worthless pursuit of pleasure that only results in the wastage of god given energy meant exclusively for the creation of progeny. What they failed to observe was the fact that sexual orientation is not something that a person acquires wilfully. It is something that he or she gets by birth or through interaction with the society. Homosexuality is, therefore, an exclusively private preference. 

Even after several years of protests by the activist groups and progressive intellectuals, Section 377 – which punishes ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature’ – is now back in force and hangs over the heads of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT). The honourable Court has stepped in wherever the judiciary has failed and has not hesitated to uphold the constitutionally enumerated fundamental rights to life and to equality. Why should it then not shy away from correcting a centuries-old law and an obsolete, regressive mind-set that offend against basic rights and human dignity?


The Court’s decision can have serious repercussions for the LGBT community. Harassment and the stigma associated with homosexuality may not only lead to social alienation of the LGBT community but may also lead to severe health consequences, particularly in the fight against AIDS. It is therefore the prerogative of the legislature to provide legal and constitutional protection to the LGBT community in this ever-evolving society. 

As a purportedly progressive and modern society, we must not lag behind in upholding the rights of the LGBT community. The need of the hour is to dismantle the obsolete notions and initiate measures that enable all sections of society enjoy a dignified life. At the same time, young people should not be lured into practising this aberration as a fashion statement. Aberration should be prevented from becoming convention.
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Devyani Khobragade Episode

Posted by ABC 0 comments

Through its international invasions in various forms, including cyber warfare and mass surveillance, drone attacks and regime change, the Unites States of America (USA) has set a bad precedent for the world even as it avers support for strengthening international rules and institutions. Ironically, superpowers that clamour for fair and rule-based order for international peace and security have themselves been caught on several occasions using international law against others and even re-interpreting multilateral rules to further their political and economic interests. The arrest, strip-search, cavity-search and handcuffing of a New York based Indian woman diplomat, Ms Devyani Khobragade on December 12, 2013 for allegedly underpaying a domestic help she had brought with her from India and fudging her visa forms, epitomise the unilateralist approach of USA to international relations. 

Ms Khobragade, even under her limited consular immunity, was entitled to be treated with dignity. Unfortunately, the inhuman and barbaric treatment meted out to her is not only discriminatory against India’s citizens settled abroad but also calls for a rethinking of India’s policy of turning the other cheek instead of taking decisive action. Perhaps the indifference shown by the Indian government in similar incidents in the past involving eminent citizens like Mr. George Fernandes, former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Ambassador Meera Shankar and celebrities like Shah Rukh khan and Amir Khan has resulted in hostilities and indignities being showered upon Indians abroad. Our lackadaisical approach towards such humiliations and our failure to take a strict stand in retaliation has made our bureaucrats vulnerable to detention on false pretexts and made the ‘soft’ foreign policy of India a subject of ridicule. Even after several accounts of humiliation, we boast of our ‘high status’ and ‘self-importance’ in the world which is nothing but a mirage. However harsh it may be but the reality is that the western nations look to India for only the best of what we have to offer in terms of technical and intellectual expertise in various fields and unrestricted markets for their products.


Ms Khobragade enjoyed only limited immunity under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. But this convention guarantees freedom from detention until trial and conviction except for ‘grave offences’. The offence in the case in point was a wage dispute between a diplomat and her domestic help! This prejudice in interpretation of the convention has reiterated the fact that rule makers are seldom rule takers.

The need of the hour is to take strict diplomatic action against the perpetrators of this humiliation. Let the superpowers realise that they cannot circumvent the international law to their advantage. Instead of giving a political colour to this episode, the Indian lawmakers should take steps to strengthen India’s foreign policies and practices that are practical and not based on some imagined or exaggerated sense of self-importance. At the same time, it must be ensured that the ties between India and the rest of the world are not severed.
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Live-in relationships

Posted by ABC 0 comments

In a nation where the institution of marriage is considered sacrosanct, the very mention of live-in relationships as an alternative to marriage results in severe consequences and even lead to agitations. Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that live-in relationships are a fundamental right of Indian citizens and are not per se illegal, any tinkering with the patriarchal family set-up is regarded as anti-family. Not only are live-in relationships seen as immoral but also as an infamous product of western culture. It is a common perception among the orthodox Indian families that live-in relationships weaken the strong familial ties and encourage promiscuity.

What is conveniently ignored is the fact that this form of co-habitation provides an opportunity to both the partners to redefine their relationship and share powers and responsibilities equally. This form of relationship has the potential to check the climbing divorce rates. Often, relationships in which men tend to enslave women and condemn them to certain subordinate roles gives rise to mutual dissatisfaction and malevolence which ultimately culminates in either divorce or physical or psychological assault of one partner over the other. In other words, marriage becomes an exploitative tool in the institution of patriarchy.

In this ever evolving world, live-in relationships are acquiring ever increasing significance. Individuals are entering into this form of relationship more out of conviction than for convenience as they feel liberated and are not bound by the compulsions of predefined marital roles. Many individuals may be ideologically opposed to the idea of letting the law dictate their personal lives, while many others may feel mauled by societal pressures and tribulations. Live-in relationships can offer great respite to such individuals in pursuing a relationship of companionship unencumbered by the intrusion of property and inheritance wrangles.


Absence of legal sanctity, however, does not necessarily mean that live-in relationships be adopted as a way of life. The children born put of such relationships are the worst sufferers. Mutual conflicts, lack of authority over the ‘virtual family’ often make this relationship a burden. The exploitation of women by their live-in partners cannot be ignored. It is then that consensual acts between the partners acquire a form of penal offence. Moreover, these relationships that do not necessarily encourage an individual to sustain a family may lead to degradation of moral values and Indian culture.

Choosing a way of life is certainly an individual’s own decision. But the choice should be made out of conviction and not merely for convenience.
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My blog is an innovative amalgamation of my thoughts, how i perceive and react to different events in the ordinary business of life and at the same time entertain the readers and sensitize them.
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