Of Pen-friends and distant friends.

December 2014, I boarded a train from Rajkot to Mumbai alone. Travelling alone on such long journeys give you two opportunities. First being, introspect for there is little you can do without thinking deep when sitting alone for long hours and second being interacting with fellow passengers. My compartment was being shared by a traditional old family so I had to chose the first option until evening, a passenger boarded who had his reservation opposite to my seat. Turned out that man was a backpacker, hitchhiker and an avid traveler. WOW! Just the type of person I would love to speak to.

He was a Doctor by profession who took a mandatory one month off every year to travel the world. These people are full of stories and you would want your journey to never come to an end. He would tell me about where were the best parties held and how he made new friends in each country. How he would cut down on costs so that he can visit multiple places. Those shady hotels that he has to stay in sometime or sleeping hungry for he would spend lavishly elsewhere. The hitchhiking and thrill involved. That how sometimes he visits back those countries only to spend time with his distant friends. Also the negative side of this being how he has been looted at different times or about how his family keeps calling him a crazy irresponsible man for draining away yearly savings into travelling.

I have never had friends outside my city except a few of them whom I have met at work or academic courses. Also, the last time I had a Pen-friend was in 2010 from whom I haven’t heard since long. However, I love the prospect of having friends spread across the globe. The prospect of you visiting them, knowing their culture and way of life, knowing different perceptions and tasting different delicacies.  I still remember the excitement and endless wait of receiving post cards from my Pen-friend in France which later got shifted to E-mail conversations. It is a different and exhilarating feeling. I believe chance encounters are more cherish-able than forced ones. So let’s hope, life throws me some really interesting Pen-friends ahead in my life. 🙂

Doctors? Really?

A video of two men from Chennai indulged in a horrific act of throwing a puppy from terrace of a building has gone viral in last two days. What is more disturbing is that both the boys are students studying medicine from a college in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. I am not going to post the video here for it is extremely disturbing.

The video consists of a man holding a puppy and smiling in the video and the next moment, flings it from the terrace. This slow motion video ends with a painful cry of the puppy, who by God’s grace has been found alive and is being treated.

The face of the video, Gautham Sudarshan was months way from becoming a Doctor. Really, a DOCTOR? A profession that trains individuals to save lives? The Humane Society International / India (HSI)’s deputy director Alokparna Sengupta said that based on current laws, the offenders could walk away with a meager fine of Rs. 10 or max Rs. 50 (Not even 1 Dollar). Although they have appealed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to increase the penalties, it will be really depressing to see these boys being let off so easily.

The recent update is that both of them who were absconding have been nabbed but are out on bail. This is an update by the animal activist who is relentlessly trying to bring justice to Bhadra (the name that the institution has given to the dog), “Those criminals have come out on BAIL. This is how “strong” the animal welfare laws are. With video evidence and so much of public outrage we couldn’t remand them even for one day . We are extremely disappointed and it’s a “Black Day” for Animal Welfare in India. However , we will keep fighting and try and get the police to file the charge sheet.”

During the times like these, it makes you question the relevance of law and order in your country and what would it take or how much time will it take to make them relevant and robust. I hope an apt punishment is awarded to these bastards (If it was in my hands, I’d want them to suffer the same act they inflicted on their poor animal) and our lax institutions come out of their 2 centuries redundant laws and make them relevant for the time being in force.

PRAY FOR BHADRA.

Source: India.com

The Purge.

Last week, my friend gave me a DVD of the first movie in Purge series. The concept was horrendous. This apparently a ‘social science fiction horror‘ film is a story where the new founding fathers of America sanctions a national civic tradition called ‘The Purge’ during which all police, fire and medical emergency services will be suspended. The movie spoke that this concept has been successful plummeting employment rates to 1%, lower crime and a strong economy. However, there are some rules; restrictions prohibit government officials ‘ranking 10’ from being disturbed, as well as the use of weapons above class 4 such as rocket launchers and bazookas. What you will notice in the movie and is repeated too quite a lot of times that the only victims to this purge are the poor, the vulnerable ones who cannot protect themselves. Come to think of it, I am sure you will be thanking your stars that such a thing is not in reality.

But is it so? Open a newspaper and you will see Purge happening day and night, each day at different corners of the world. Everyday some new shooting, beheading or bombing. Who is the victim? The homeless ones, the poor and vulnerable people who cannot protect themselves. Who doesn’t get disturbed? The high ranking officials. Hardly anyone gets punished for half the world sides with one type of terrorism where other half condemns it. Terms of Good Terrorism and Bad Terrorism is in force. After every attack when someone starts a social media trend of #PrayForTheVictim, there is other side which rejoices in the cold blooded murder and term they deserved it. It is a sick mentality which sanctions or justifies murder.

“There are perhaps many causes worth dying for, but to me, certainly, there are none worth killing for.”   ― Albert Dietrich, Army GI, Pacifist CO: The World War II Letters of Frank and Albert Dietrich

I wonder when will this world realize the results of what is happening. When will there be a stop to all of this. When will this world consider killing an innocent to be a crime, for whatsoever reasons or whatever nationality or culture or tradition that person belongs to.

And for those who find this movie’s concept interesting, read about Direct Action Day and Great Calcutta Killings or The week of long knives. It was no less than a Purge as shown in the movie. Violence never serves the purpose, it only destroys. Most of the countries that justified or reasoned a terrorist attack in Asian countries for last many years are facing the same monsters in their homeland today but sadly, maturity still appears to be light years away.

A Syrian said, “We pray 6 prayers a day now; Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and Janazah [Funerals].

Really, when will this stop?

Map of the Introvert’s Heart

Source: Unknown

I found this image while scrolling through old photos to free up space in my SD Card and I couldn’t help sharing this image with you people 😀

And they had fun.

Last evening, I met a guy who had come all the way from a small town in Madhya Pradesh. While we had a small talk about how is it here and how is he finding the city of dreams, he told me about his last weekend trip to Tiger Point, Lonavala. For the ones who do not hail from Maharashtra, This place is one of the hot spot location to be as the monsoon commences or even in winter. Be it early morning, evening or even late midnight or at 4 a.m., you will find this place bustling with people who drive there in their private cars or tourist vehicles, smoking hookah, drinking, having campfires and dancing on the music or eating Maggi and Pakodas.

What was interesting is how this man traveled there. He took a train to Lonavala from Mumbai and from there, he took an auto rickshaw to get to this place. This was really new for I have never ever heard people do this or even able to do this for Tiger Point, quite evidently, is located at an altitude. When I asked him why such a route? His answer was a simple, we couldn’t find a reasonable travel option and we 3 friends wanted to have fun. Undoubtedly they enjoyed the experience and honestly, what else matters anyway? I have known so many plans getting dumped for trivial reasons or sometimes because cost goes too high and then I see these bunch of young lads, not giving two hoots to usual norms, find an alternative route and embark.

I have come to really admire these guys for making their weekend happening. A lot of times, having fun is quite easy but all that we get entangled in and eventually spoil it up is trying to sparkle the process of having fun.

View from Lion’s Point, Lonavala, Maharashtra, India

For the ones who haven’t visited this place or never known and wish to go, here’s the guide which you can scroll through before making your decision, courtesy MakeMyTrip.com –– https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g608474-d2624814-Reviews-Lion_s_Point-Lonavala_Maharashtra.html 

Loving yourself.

‘I have always thought, and I may be the only one , that the famous saying, “You must love yourself before you can love anyone else,” was complete bullshit. Especially for those of us who were not born with perfect bodies or bone structures or a gift to find the right words. 

I believe for us, that only by falling hopelessly in love and being hopelessly loved back, do we begin to learn to love all that we are and truthfully, the person we have always been.’

—- Christopher Poindexter

Evidently, Christopher is not the only one to think like this.