India, Grow Up!

I often wondered why inspite of we progressing so much in fields of technology, food production, healthcare etc. , are still a developing nation. Recent events answered my question. It’s our MENTALITY. A small word, which simply means our attitude towards a particular event/person/thing.  65 years after our independence, we still have a mindset that probably never developed since last 100 years and there’s little chance of it, if we continue on the same path.

In India a woman is worshipped in various forms of Goddesses, often associated with the word ‘Maa’(mother). Temples are probably the only place a woman (Goddess) is respected. I have often noticed the ‘Mulgi shikli, pragati zaali’ (Educating a girl contributes to progress of the society) slogans on various vehicles but I fail to understand why the same society wants the girl to cover her head with a dupatta and not carry cell phones or for that matter not leave the house without being accompanied by a male member of the family. Aren’t we maintaining double standards here? On one hand we want our girls to be educated and confident and on the other hand, we dictate what they should wear and where they should go. Shouldn’t the choice of what a girl should wear be left to girls themselves ? Some would say it’s for safety purposes. But I truly don’t think that even salwar-kameez clad women in India feel safe.

Just like beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, vulgarity too comes from the way we see and think. If there are cases of eve teasing, the girl’s dressing sense will be the main focus of the issue (our mentality). If a girl wears short dresses, she is considered to be easily approachable and an attention-seeker (again our mentality). Almost all morals and values are to be followed by women. I ask why? We don’t wear clothes to excite anyone. If we are comfortable in something why should we be denied the right to use it just because some idiot hasn’t got his values intact! Why should only girls bear the burden of so called “Indian Culture”? And if you think this is a problem only with rural areas, unfortunately it is not! In cities crime against women are as high or even more as compared to rural areas. Again the main culprit being, our mentality. We are just literate, not educated. Because if we were educated, we would atleast understand how to respect and treat another human being if not a woman.

Its high time India brings about a radical change in its thinking and starts punishing the real offenders.  And a humble request to the law makers and law protectors to treat every molestation or rape as serious an offence as killing some individual and to not blame the victim for the crime. A country where a woman does not feel safe can truly never progress!

Fear Of Dying

        Now as 2012 arrives, there are news channels and people constantly speaking of doomsday and end of this world.  Though I don’t believe in such stories but it wouldn’t matter even if it did come true. Just like we can’t decide when and where we are born, we can’t determine how we die. Then why fear it? Death is as predictable as life, isn’t it?

        Recently read ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ and realized why it’s necessary to live the time we have to the fullest rather than fearing death. Being ambitious I always made plans about what I would do regarding my education, job etc. What I forgot to plan for was ‘living life’. Now as I am about to graduate in few months, when I look back, the moments that I really remember are the ones I spent with my friends doing projects, College festival ‘Euphoria’, going to restaurants to celebrate completion of exams and not how I would slog to complete my journals and study day and night for exams. Different people find happiness in different things.  As dance is what I love to do, those 3 days of college festival would make me immensely happy. For others it may be eating or playing some musical instrument. Then why is it that we don’t include the things that make us happy in our daily routine? Why do we need to find a reason to be happy? Our fear of dying has made us forget to live! In ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ there’s a scene where the actor talks about how he is going to work hard now, earn a luxurious life and then live life peacefully after retiring at 40, to which the actress asks him how does he know he will live till 40? A simple question, to which none of us really have an answer to. When we don’t know when we die, then why not live each day as the last day (minus the fear)?

        Most of us make New Year resolutions like ‘I will try to lose weight’, ‘I will try to get that promotion‘etc. Why don’t we get to hear something like ‘I will be happy this year’? We always try to achieve something to prove to others how worthy we are, but what about our own happiness! Why not think, ’I have gained weight, so what? I have gained it after eating something I really like and if ‘I AM’ not comfortable about the extra weight, I will exercise.’ Don’t lose out on your life in pursuing something that would make everyone else happy except you! Learn to love your life, you won’t fear death then. If this is our last year, make each day count J