Ha ! Back to blogging after a long time... The abstinence was a tough one, but, well, the sacrifices one has to make for an msp !! :D
Lots happened since the last time I blogged - In the general front, we had India getting beaten royally at the world cup, and also, the ugliness behind the scenes making its presence felt in Woolmer's murder. On a more personal front, there was a riotous holi, then, a fun-filled Swar Sandhya, PAFs and lots of fun at the hostel [as usual :)]. Now, the countdown has begun. We have just a month left, with Apr 27th being our msp presentation day. With valfis round the corner, was feeling quite senti, and unable to work [which explains why I am blogging from lab, in spite of having a submission hanging like the famed Damocles sword on top of my head :D]
Cant seem to get a particular incident out of my head since yesterday. Thought 'penning' it down might help.
Yesterday, we Amchis [For the ignorant, Amchi is what we Konkani people call ourselves.. and, for the hopelessly ignorant , Konkani is a language spoken, not just by Goans but also by few communities in Karnataka and Maharashtra] went for Sid baab's treat (for having secured a PT at Cornell.. with a huge stipend, and a Looker as a guide ;) ]. We went to Chakras, the typical IITian adda for treats. On route to Chakras, we were caught in one of those -talked-about-on-the-radio traffic jams at a Saki naka signal. As Chakras was a just a stone's throw from that signal, we decided to get down from the rick and walk [prudent decision, as the auto would have taken at least 20 mins more, as compared to our 5 min walk :)]. As we crossed the road, I heard a sharp clang, the kind you hear when something metallic strikes the ground. I turned back and saw, a tiffin dabba lying on the ground. Its contents - few rotis, some rice, a sabzi .. a nice, nothing-fancy-but-filling home-made dinner - lying on the ground. The owner of the dabba - a youth of about 20 - had stopped his cycle a few feet away and was looking ruefully at his dinner, which had fallen off his cycle as he was taking a turn. Then, he slowly and dejectedly walked back to pick up the now-empty dabba. The look on his face somehow remained with me. Even at Chakras, while we were having a lavish treat, I couldn't help but wonder whether that guy ate something that night, whether he had money to buy himself some food, or if the spilt dinner translated into an empty stomach for that night.
Even at our PAF, they spoke of Vidarbh, where the farmer who grows food, is now not even being able to have two square meals a day. The PAF aimed to put across the plight of the farmer and we also had a farmer who came down all the way from Vidarbh, after a day long train journey, so that he could tell us first hand about their problems. But soon, after the PAF, half the junta walked away cursing the PAF for its low "entertainment" value, the performing team was busy rejoicing, the mood of pathos evoked by the PAF soon forgotten in the jubilance, and everyone forgot the farmer, as usual. We all have learnt to be insensitive. Learnt, practised, and now mastered the art of self-centeredness. As long as we have a food supply, and a salary sufficient to buy food - irrespective of the cost, we just are not concerned about people dying of hunger in the very same state that we live in. Why go to Vidarbh, we have homeless people in Mumbai itself, for whom the very next meal is a question mark.
Why such discrepancy?? why do have excess in some places and a pinching scarcity in another?? Why do we have people dying of hunger in some places and people throwing away food callously at parties in some other places?? And, why aren't we bothered the least about it??
Being a person who cant withstand hunger for long, the thought of someone starving seems most pathetic. And, it seems even more insensitive, that after looking at a man who might possibly go hungry that night, I went on to stuff myself, without even asking if I could help him in any way. I have joined the brigade of the callous. The God of Insensitivity reigns supreme and we, His faithful devotees, march triumphant.
Lots happened since the last time I blogged - In the general front, we had India getting beaten royally at the world cup, and also, the ugliness behind the scenes making its presence felt in Woolmer's murder. On a more personal front, there was a riotous holi, then, a fun-filled Swar Sandhya, PAFs and lots of fun at the hostel [as usual :)]. Now, the countdown has begun. We have just a month left, with Apr 27th being our msp presentation day. With valfis round the corner, was feeling quite senti, and unable to work [which explains why I am blogging from lab, in spite of having a submission hanging like the famed Damocles sword on top of my head :D]
Cant seem to get a particular incident out of my head since yesterday. Thought 'penning' it down might help.
Yesterday, we Amchis [For the ignorant, Amchi is what we Konkani people call ourselves.. and, for the hopelessly ignorant , Konkani is a language spoken, not just by Goans but also by few communities in Karnataka and Maharashtra] went for Sid baab's treat (for having secured a PT at Cornell.. with a huge stipend, and a Looker as a guide ;) ]. We went to Chakras, the typical IITian adda for treats. On route to Chakras, we were caught in one of those -talked-about-on-the-radio traffic jams at a Saki naka signal. As Chakras was a just a stone's throw from that signal, we decided to get down from the rick and walk [prudent decision, as the auto would have taken at least 20 mins more, as compared to our 5 min walk :)]. As we crossed the road, I heard a sharp clang, the kind you hear when something metallic strikes the ground. I turned back and saw, a tiffin dabba lying on the ground. Its contents - few rotis, some rice, a sabzi .. a nice, nothing-fancy-but-filling home-made dinner - lying on the ground. The owner of the dabba - a youth of about 20 - had stopped his cycle a few feet away and was looking ruefully at his dinner, which had fallen off his cycle as he was taking a turn. Then, he slowly and dejectedly walked back to pick up the now-empty dabba. The look on his face somehow remained with me. Even at Chakras, while we were having a lavish treat, I couldn't help but wonder whether that guy ate something that night, whether he had money to buy himself some food, or if the spilt dinner translated into an empty stomach for that night.
Even at our PAF, they spoke of Vidarbh, where the farmer who grows food, is now not even being able to have two square meals a day. The PAF aimed to put across the plight of the farmer and we also had a farmer who came down all the way from Vidarbh, after a day long train journey, so that he could tell us first hand about their problems. But soon, after the PAF, half the junta walked away cursing the PAF for its low "entertainment" value, the performing team was busy rejoicing, the mood of pathos evoked by the PAF soon forgotten in the jubilance, and everyone forgot the farmer, as usual. We all have learnt to be insensitive. Learnt, practised, and now mastered the art of self-centeredness. As long as we have a food supply, and a salary sufficient to buy food - irrespective of the cost, we just are not concerned about people dying of hunger in the very same state that we live in. Why go to Vidarbh, we have homeless people in Mumbai itself, for whom the very next meal is a question mark.
Why such discrepancy?? why do have excess in some places and a pinching scarcity in another?? Why do we have people dying of hunger in some places and people throwing away food callously at parties in some other places?? And, why aren't we bothered the least about it??
Being a person who cant withstand hunger for long, the thought of someone starving seems most pathetic. And, it seems even more insensitive, that after looking at a man who might possibly go hungry that night, I went on to stuff myself, without even asking if I could help him in any way. I have joined the brigade of the callous. The God of Insensitivity reigns supreme and we, His faithful devotees, march triumphant.
2 comments:
Good to see you posting after a long time.
About being insensitive, something I experienced today. We had a sort of 'GBM' of me, the PT nom, in class today. Turns out that so many of my batchmates are so callous in their approach towards their internships that they are behaving as if I am not their PT nom, but their PT godfather. If people start treating you as if you are responsible for all their problems and their issues, it calls to be insensitive towards them. After all, you are not the proprietor of this world, are you?
In short, we shouldn't actually be insensitive towards people (sadly we are), but then there are also some who deserve not to be cared for.
Ah! The pathos running thro' your post!
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