BREAKING NEWS!!

Though it is quite late at night and I have been awake from 23rd may into the next day, but couldn’t help sitting down to write something. Writing has given me a new medium of expression without worrying much about the consequences;-)

Recently the murder of a teenage girl in her own home in Noida has been in the news recently. Thanks to the media, the case has been investigated speedily and some progress is visible after all. Today the news channels were bombarding us with this big breaking news that the teenager’s father has been arrested for murder. It is indeed a Breaking news…a heart breaking one. Whatever may be the case but it is horrifying enough to even suggest that a father could kill his own daughter, that too in a pre-meditated fashion. Even if we give some concession to parents that they can do such a thing in a fit of rage but nothing can explain a pre-planned murder of one’s own child.

Nowadays my son has found a new interest in seeing videos and images of planets, stars, galaxies etc. and when I see these images scaled down it is amazing to see that our very own sun is just a dot from a ball-point pen compared to the other stars of our galaxy. Earth looks non-existent even in our galaxy. On that earth we as individuals are not even there. Still we create the whole universe around us thinking we are at the centre and the whole universe revolves around us. We cannot tolerate if someone does wrong to us. We cannot tolerate our own wrongs to be known to others. We are continuously caught up in a web of jealousy, hatred, anger, frustration and what not. We alone and not God or the Creator hold the keys to others’ lives. Can the urge to hide one’s own wrong doings be strong enough to kill someone? Can our children actually defame us enough to get killed in a planned manner by us?

My mind is in a turmoil due to the shock of this incident. My home in Delhi is quite near to where the incident took place. I am not even able to organise my thoughts over this issue. I get the jitters thinking about that innocent girl alive a few days ago …happy to be alive. Does one deserve so brutal a punishment for being there?

Can we ever think beyond ourselves? Is our one lifetime bigger than the lifetime of this earth?

Outsiders in Mumbai!!

The hot question in Mumbai these days is one posed by Raj Thackeray, “Why should outsiders be allowed in Mumbai?” It sounds foolish to common people, political to politicians, communal to liberals and what not. But if we try to remove Raj thackeray out of it and politics out of it and communalism out of it I think it is a very serious issue.

From Mumbaikars point of view the influx of outsiders is increasing congestion at all places be it traffic, schools, hospitals and not to forget the most important rail transport of Mumbai. Practically the whole of Mumbai thrives on this rail system. And what a pathetic scene it is to watch people getting in and out of the trains every day. (Some of my near and dear ones are among them.) Also the state is required to deal with providing basic facilities of health, education, employment, residence etc to the migrants. We should give some credit to the state that it isn’t an easy job. It can be too challenging for any administration.

From non-Mimbaikars point of view it is shameful that we are creating regionalism in a country whose lifeline is “Unity in Diversity”. It takes away one’s freedom to move freely in one’s own country. This regionalism can kill our spirit of patriotism to some extent and no doubt benefit our enemies, as history shows. It is humiliating to watch our very own countrymen being attacked, their houses being vandalised in Mumbai just because they are from other states. What is freedom if I don’t feel safe in my own country? Is it any better than being under foreign rule?

So, the big dilemma is should this question be raised or not?

I feel that the influx of people from villages and concentration of population in some selected cities is a serious cause of concern. Something must be done before the cities collapse due to overburdening and before the villages go barren with dying or fleeing farmers. I think we could start by considering it as a problem of the country and of big cities and not as a political or regional problem. Is it possible to make a change by distributing job opportunities all over the country? With increasing technology and shrinking world can we not give Mumbai a respite by taking off its financial pressure? Why do all industries… be it basic commodities, IT, telecom or finance need to be in and around Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune?

There could be many more questions like these. I am sure if a proper brainstorming is done loads and loads of ideas would come out. But it is heart-breaking that all our intelligentsia is a puppet at the hands of unconstitutional morons with vested interests.

Mona Lisa Smile!

I took some time off to watch this movie made in 2003. I seldom watch English movies but this one I picked because of Julia Roberts. I have watched some of her movies and I like watching them over and over again. I had hardly heard about this movie and the tagline "In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live" did offer some encouragement. Julia Roberts plays the Art History teacher Katherine Watson who thinks a bit differently and more advanced with respect to her times.

The movie is set in the times of early 1950s and is captivating. Especially for girls I guess it is a bit liberating. I liked the way the message is brought to fore. The conservative society of the Wellesley college encourages girls to get married even before they graduate. A married girl in class gets special treatment by the teachers and students alike. So even if the girls are intelligent and interested in Law and other subjects, but due to the orthodox environment they are forced to focus more on finding a life partner for themselves and less on finding a career for themselves.The teahcer Katherine Watson encourages girls to choose both--- a career and marriage for themselves. She is not against a particular set of traditions but she wants the girls to consider other options too.

In one particular high pitched emotional scene Katherine Watson shows the class a few slides of advertisements of their times and calls it contemporary art. The advertisements are all of women and their household appliances. She asks the class a question whether they would be liked to be studied by the future scholars of art like this or would they like to bring some change.

I was thinking that it is actually a very good way of putting a continuous check on ourselves....as individuals and as a society. The future generation will judge us on the basis of marks, remnants and fossils we leave behind us. Also, I believe that change cannot come overnight and it should not come overnight. The change that comes gradually is there to stay. Many a times after several attempts we feel that a particular effort is wasted just because we cannot see the results. Probably the change is happening after all. Putting in efforts for change are like trying to break a rock with a hammer. A single blow might not break it or even a 100. But the rock does break in the 1st blow after a 100. This means the first 100 blows did put a dent after all. So, when even we try to bring a change around us in terms of attitude or trends, it might take us a 100 blows before we succeed!

A must watch movie.

An eggless choclate cake

My friends have been asking for this eggless cake recipe. Eggless cakes don't come out as well as egg cakes. So don't expect too much out of it. Try and let me know the results;-)

Ingredients:
All-Purpose Flour - 1.5 cups
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 3 Tbsp,
sifted Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Oil - 5 Tbsp (butter especially for baking can also be used)
White Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Coke tin - 150 ml
baking powder - 1 tsp

Method:
Before getting started preheat the oven at 180 degree celsius. By the time you are ready with the batter, the oven is heated fully well.

1. In a mixing bowl sift flour, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda and soda bicarb 2-3 times. this makes the flour very light.Then to this sifted flour add Sugar. Mix well.
2. Add in Oil, Vinegar, Vanilla Extract and coke.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together with a hand blender until there are no more lumps.
4. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan, two inches deep.
5. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 10 minutes then reduce the temp to 150 degree celsius. now bake for half an hour.Poke a toothpick or fork into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Different ovens behave differently, so check nicely before taking out the cake. It is better not to open the oven frequently while the cake is getting baked.
6. Remove pan from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes before flipping it over onto a platter.
7. Cool completely if you want to apply frosting, else serve with a dollop of whipped cream or chocolate sauce.