A promise made to myself

The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” should be used as a pill that awakens Indians to the plight of street-children. We shouldn’t denounce it by saying that it showcases only the dark side of India; if anything, we should acknowledge it as the fact of what happens in India today, and then try to do away with such evils. On my journey back to Kolkata from Pune on board the Azad-Hind Express, there was this little girl with a pink shirt and a black frock who was performing little tricks with a large iron ring draped around her thin shoulders. Then she approached each passenger with a bowl, begging for alms. As I dropped some coins into the bowl, I patted her on the head and whispered to myself that she didn’t deserve this. I don’t know what she made of my gesture but she gave me a smile that was so sad that I had to bite my tongue to hold back the tears. We’ve got it all wrong, I felt. Everything. We need a complete overhaul of the Indian scenario. And we need it now.

I may not remember everything that took place on my trip to Pune, but the little girl’s smile (and the world of sadness in it) will always be a part of me. And I promise to do something about it.

How cruel can we be?

How low can we sink? How cruel can we be? I learned recently that the spiny tailed lizard or ‘sanda’ (Scientific name – Uromastyx hardwickii); found primarily in UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Pakistan, is boiled alive in oil because it’s fat is said to have medicinal value. And no, it doesn’t end there. In order to prevent these tiny creatures (the males grow up to 415 mm and the females grow up to 375 mm) from escaping from their ordeal in the boiling oil, they are often starved for a number of days and their backs are broken. This is the 21^st century? This is where parts of our country stand? It’s said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Tell me, of what use is an increasing GDP or a rise in standards of living if we cannot instill in our brethren the thing that makes man the highest of all living beings? Who is a human if he is not humane?

... because we are not the only ones who live on Planet Earth

The skins of Indian crocodiles (marsh, salt-water and gharials), lizards (all types) and snakes (all types) are regularly used in the manufacture of wallets, ladies’ bags, hunting boots and other footwear, belts, straps of wrist-watches, sandals, briefcases, patches on leather garments (like jackets, skirts and pants) and other ‘fashion items’. Most of the species being slaughtered mercilessly for nothing other than our personal needs are on the endangered list in India. It’s high time all of us take collective responsibility to protect our wildlife. I do not use any leather products and I urge all of you to do the same. Please remember, “If the buying stops, the killing can too…”

So what?

Of course human beings are civilized! Humans sport Peter England, John Mills, Raymonds and United Colors of Benetton, do they not? They cannot get enough of AXE and PLAYBOY; they indulge in manicures and pedicures. They watch TV, play music on iPods, drink water cooled in a refrigerator and shoot down enemy soldiers on a PlayStation. Heck, it is they who make the world go around! Of course humans are civilized! So what if they spit out the window of a bus in motion, without sparing a thought for the pedestrians? So what if they tend to their teeth with a toothpick after a wholesome meal and, on recovering pieces of unchewed food, throw them wherever they feel like? So what if they chop off the heads of live poultry and then hold them by their wings to watch the beheaded birds convulse to death? So what if they cheer on lustily, baying for blood, as farm animals are offered as sacrifices to appease a 'goddess'? So what if their hot topic of discussion the day after the worship of the said 'goddess' is whether or not the executioner managed to severe the head of he sacrificial animal with one clean blow? Humans are the torch-bearers of civilization, aren't they? Of course they're civilized then!

... ?

My mother was telling me today morning that I should try for something else next year and not retake the management exams (provided, of course, that I fail to convert any of my three remaining Interview calls). She feels that I'm like a cheetah; that I can cover a fair bit of distance rather quickly but I lack the ability to sustain that pace for longer periods of time. (Well, I thought to myself, atleast someone has found something similar between my favourite animal and me!)

My first-choice subject (after the ordeal of graduating with Economics Honours) was Journalism and/or Mass Commuinication. I wasn't allowed to sit for any of the relevant entrance exams because my parents felt that "it's a very uncertain future" (I tried making them understand that life itself is very uncertain, but it didn't quite work).

So I decided to give MBA a shot. Now, I'm being advised to try something else..

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I..." Unfortunately, that's where the buck stops. I don't yet know which road is mine to take...