Living in Denmark

Half a year has gone by since I moved to Denmark to pursue a Masters degree at DTU and lazy me has not chronicled anything about this extremely exciting change. That there is a world of difference between how my life used to be before August '15 and how it is now is an obvious conclusion. Denmark and India, or North India to be more precise, are worlds apart when it comes to the obvious geographical and social parameters. But, what do I feel about these differences? And how do they affect my daily life? Are they really so huge or do we tend to augment them using our imagination? I will try here to identify a few and write about them, hoping to make it a light and informative read.

So, here goes:

The Food
It is only when you step away from the comfort of the home-cooked, adequately scheduled meals that you realize what a life altering factor food is. But, since I am no stranger to living far from the security of mother's morsels, the food factor did not pack much of a rude shock for me. I still eat pretty much the same as I used to back in India (which is whatever can be easily bought and prepared). For those accustomed to the more traditional Indian cooking, Copenhagen does offer most of the ingredients you'd need for a nice meal. The grocery stores are in fact well stocked with ingredients for many types of world cuisine. There's only one thing that I dearly miss: paneer. The stores do have cottage cheese on offer, considering how huge the dairy industry is here, but it is not the same consistency I am used to. I guess the people here are just not too fond of this variant of cheese.
Copenhagen is pretty cosmopolitan when it comes to eating habits. The streets are full of cafes and eateries offering pizzas, french hot dogs, kebabs, samosas, shawarma, falafels, etc. I can't say I've tried much of Danish cuisine except for their legendary open sandwiches, but Copenhagen does have some of the highest rated restaurants in the world. One of the best places I have visited for street food so far is the Paper Island (Papiroen). Set inside an old, vacated paper mill, this place invites street food vendors from all over the world. You can have American, Danish, Italian, Middle-Eastern, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Turkish.... the list goes on. Even the canteen at DTU offers a variety of multi-cultural cuisine on a daily basis.

Inside Paper Island. Photo Courtesy: www.likealocalguide.com

The bottom line: if you're picky about your food habits, you might have to work a bit hard to replicate the situation you're used to. Otherwise, there is a wide variety of stuff to try and it is mostly delicious!

The Weather
When I was planning on moving to Copenhagen, the one feedback that I constantly received from all and sundry was that Denmark was going to be bitterly cold and I would not see the sun for weeks. Well, it is nice and sunny today. :) Of course, Copenhagen is not sunny like Tahiti (or New Delhi in March, April, May, June, July --- October) but the Sun does peek through regularly, bathing the city in it's gorgeous glow.

Sunny in Copenhagen :)

The long and dark winter days did not bother me as much as I had imagined they would. It was cold but not the bitterly torturous sub-zero temperature cold other countries in similar climate zones have. I had always enjoyed winter back home and the extended version of it here only made me increase the frequency of warm winter treats and cozy winter reads. This was also my first experience with snow and I loved how the city transformed into a winter wonderland.
The one outstanding feature about Copenhagen's weather though, is it's unpredictability. A day would start off as sunny, proceed to cloudy before mid day, the afternoon would be wet (you might even have hail or snow) and by evening it would have all settled down again.

Winter Wonderland in my backyard :)

The most valuable piece of advice I have received about the weather here is to always, always carry an umbrella/rain jacket and an extra sweater.

The Population (Or the relative lack of it)
Coming from one of the most populated cities in the world, this aspect is a welcome change. Nowhere is this difference more apparent than on the streets. No long queues, no crowding, no jostling, no traffic jams and honking cars and much, much more breathing space. Even when using public transport during rush hour, you are guaranteed to find a place to sit within five minutes. Of course, the story is much different in India. I can only use pictures to describe this.

Denmark, on a whole, has a population of around 5 million people. Approximately 2 million of these are residents of Copenhagen. Compare this with New Delhi where the population is nearly 16 million, if not more. This factor also greatly benefits the Danish society as it obviously makes for much better and efficient administration.

So that's it for now, a short succinct summary of the most obvious differences between my life in Denmark compared to India. I shall continue this with more about my cross-country experiences.
Tak!

*Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia

What's Your Story?

What's your story, Copenhagen?

I have been here for three weeks now and I'm still wondering. You never talk. Never attempt eye contact. Even when I look at you, you shy and look away. What's going on there, inside your head? What mysteries thrive in the criss-cross of your numerous lanes and  in the quiet of your green recluses? What does the wind carry when it blows over your cold grey-blue ingresses of water?

In my room, I can hear the cars zooming down the highway, all day. In the mornings, I can hear the birds chirp. Sometimes, late into the night, I can even hear the rain falling on the cobbled footpaths and the trees rustling with the wind. But, rarely, very rarely do I hear people talk, walking under the artistic street lamps.
Why are you so afraid of people listening in? Your privacy you guard with a knightly fierceness.

Yet, I've never felt so comfortable being out on my own in the streets, on a crowded bus, riding an elevator, visiting a mall or any of those places where you would typically find yourself surprised by a traffic of people. It's liberating to be just a part of that traffic: not caring about other people's business and, blessedly, not having to care about people caring about your business. Your privacy you can learn to prize.

Does it get lonely? I am waiting to find out. So far I have been too excited with the freedom to just enjoy solitude to worry about it.

Copenhagen, I may never fully know your story, but I must thank you for giving me the space to work on my own.

*Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia

Of Women and Fiction

In the year 1928, Virginia Woolf was called by the Arts Society at Newnham and the Odtaa at Girton to speak about women and fiction. The papers delivered by Woolf on the two occasions have since been compiled and expanded into an essay titled ‘A room of one’s own’. But, hang on, we’re talking about women and about fiction and this lady is talking real estate? Not quite. For a woman to be a successful author/writer or poet, she must have a room of her own and an income of so-and-so per year, Woolf asserted. The simplicity and directness of this statement makes one not take it too seriously. She said nothing about passion, dedication, discipline, creativity or any of those virtues we may expect to have an important role in the development of the writer. Instead, she drew my attention to two mere resources- a private room and a steady income. Why? The rationale took me back to a time where female writers were unheard of, right at the beginning of what we may call the dawn of women and fiction. The reasons presented in her argument collude and transcend all that affects, aids and discriminates against her sex. I found myself riveted to the essay, produced almost a century ago, but very much concordant with and inclusive of the notions of femininity and feminism that arrest me today.

To study about women and fiction, Woolf went back to the earliest of literature about women. But, here, we encounter an issue. There is no dearth of literature featuring women but only as a subject. There are plenty of books by men on a range of topics but no books written by women.  What were the women doing and why were they not writing but leaving it to the other sex to represent and document them? Even the books of history had a minimal mention of them, as if they had been invisible during all of the wars and revolutions. But there was no shortage of books written on or about women, studies on the character of women, on how to deal with them and understand them. At this point, I began to wonder- are we really two variants of the same species? Or did the women just show up one day, from Venus perhaps, and demanded that men study, tolerate and control them? There is also a certain vehemence with which men, irrespective of country, race or religion, have all rushed at some point of history to denounce women and introduce ideas of inferiority.

Forgive my unintended misandry for an instant while we examine the position of the average person: A person, to be successful in any industry, must possess a certain degree of self-respect and confidence. We must also agree to the fact that if the average person is communicated a notion of ‘being better’ than, let’s say, another person, this perception of self-worth automatically increases. Now, think of the average man and think about him being told that ‘he’ is the superior sex.  Oh, that would be a nice boost for the ego, wouldn’t it? An entire half of the population diminished and swept away in a matter of sentences. And this sentiment was echoed when Woolf tried to find the reason for why there were so many men writing their views on women. For a long period in history, the woman has served as a mirror to the man- a mirror that enlarging their self-image and feeding the idea of superiority. This is the premise of a patriarchal society.

On the idea of superiority of males over females- enough has been said and proven already. Yet, the idea never leaves us. It finds its way across generations and cultures to restrain the woman or to falsely implicate the man in to pre-defined, stereotypical roles. The worst consequence of this school of thought is obviously the mass prevalence of female feticides and favoritism exhibited towards the male child. It is how we treat the child that determines how society functions in the future.

However, going back to the era Woolf had me in; I find that the woman had not written any book to defend herself.

The question of there being no literature produced by women in that period can be attributed to two factors- illiteracy and poverty. She was illiterate because there was no place for a woman of words and knowledge in a household run on patriarchy. The lack of education again guaranteed a disability for her to fend for herself. Also, the laws and practices of inheritance made it impossible for her to come in possession of money. Hence, she was poor and dependent. The force restricting expression of the female creative power was the patriarchal society.

When a society is governed by rules written by a certain section; the other section would always find themselves living within the confines of roles chalked out for them. The woman found that the masculine opinions of what she could and could not do- often unsupported by fact but flung casually at her nevertheless, blotted her formative years and carved holes into the pillars of her self-confidence. Could an artist be born this way? One may argue that the woman need not pay attention to these external factors so out of her control and focus on her own artistic intent itself. But, Art is born out of sense of self and , quoting Woolf, ‘it is precisely the men or women of genius that mind most what is said of them’. Even so, let us consider that she somehow ignores what is said about her ability and talent, but the lack of money and education coupled with the abundance of domestic responsibility were reasons enough to dissuade her.  It were only the distinguished, privileged and wealthy ladies  who could afford to write poetry or literature- but even then, other forms of Art were strictly out of her reach. Their works were marked with traces of feminism that were, without a doubt, necessary. Their creative energies could have been directed elsewhere, to other aspects of Life, in general, yet they chose to divest them on the more pressing issue, may be to reclaim their voice. The woman wrote neither philosophy nor odes to nature or love but tales about the injustice of her oppression. 

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, the female author discovered that she could turn to the letter for bread. But, of course, no honourable woman could be found making a career out of being a wordsmith. Even Austen hid behind pseudonyms. But now her work was free from aggression directed towards men or pity on her own self. With the dawn of the nineteenth century, she finally began seeing writing as an art form, not merely as a tool for self-expression.  

To what extent can we disentangle the personal from Art? It can be argued that every creative endeavour attempted by a person provides an insight to that person- his views, memories, general ideals and ideas of life. Hence, in this context, literature can be said to serve as a sort of a mirror to society. Thereby, it makes sense to draw an analysis of literature over the years to gauge the trends in gender perception with time.

The relationship between women as represented in literature/Art can be compared and examined for its similarities with reality. A lot many pieces leave the reader wondering if two women can ever share the bond of friendship without jealousy and competition. Literature has had several examples of men as friends, bosses, helpers, etc. of other men. But, to sketch women in relationships other than those they share with men was a task not attempted as often. As Woolf wrote, ‘…seen only in relation to the other sex…how small a part of a woman’s life is that…how little can a man know, when he observes it through black or rosy spectacles…’. Hence, the representation of the woman cannot be deemed to be objective in such a scenario. Authors such as Mary Carmichael (among others of the likes of Woolf, Austen and the Brontes, etc) attempted to another dimension to literature by portraying the oft obscured domestic life. Great novels had been written about splendid events like wars and catastrophes but seldom about the trivialities that one observes in a household or about the aspirations of common women. So, May Carmichael, when she intended to write about women, had to set out on an expedition to explore, understand and grasp the vanities, peculiarities, ambitions and insecurities of her own sex as well as to observe the other sex and the relationships between them. She wrote about two women, their friendship, their respective domestic lives and refreshingly, their shared ambition outside of domesticity. 

I do not wish to promulgate a vision of books written by women, for women and about women. But, for a long period in history, we have gone without appreciating the complex and sensitive bond shared between two women which is not influenced by the men in their lives.

The great mind, I am convinced, is androgynous. The accomplished writer writes unconscious of their own sex. You do not read a great work of art and immediately conclude that it was the work of a man or a woman. Yet, if we observe the literary world around us, we would find numerous examples of gender being assigned to different types of literature and cinema. The great artist knows that men and women are the ends of the same spectrum, not opposing factions. If we see the truly prominent and lasting works of art, like Shakespeare, we would find that they have been the ones conceived by a mind unconscious of sex- the androgynous mind. (May be that is why there has been unending speculation over the Bard’s gender over the years.)

There is a great satisfaction in seeing the sexes as parts of a whole and none as an end within itself. The fully developed mind does not think specially or separately of gender. 

"Work"ing your Way

I attempt here to write about the change in lifestyle, opinion and priorities we experience as we step out of college in to the world of fending for yourself and what better time to write about it than on a Monday morning, right after the customary coffee cup.

I have been up since five, scurrying around to get ready for the two hour journey that takes me to office from my home. The breakfast will just have to be rolled up in Aluminum foil because getting late is not an option: they will charge you a half day's salary. Besides, you are perennially struggling to beat your supervisor in the race called 'I got here first' and somehow he is always there, sipping his morning tea while you frantically urge your system to boot up and record your attendance.

Contrast this with just six-seven months back: I would have lazily albeit unhappily got up at eight, had my fill at the breakfast table because home cooked food is so hard to come by and reached the metro station in a mock hurry. Yes, yes, there would be lectures to attend but who cared if you missed a couple? A well-modulated voice could always mark your presence, anyway. And, then, timings never really mattered. There was no pride to be gained in entering the lecture room before your professor. More importantly, it was all a matter of choice. A crucial (by that I obviously allude to attendance and internal assessment issues) lecture was worth a couple of hours of sleep and hunger pangs... Continue reading

The era of the Super Geniuses

There comes a time in a blogger's life when he or she is tracked down by peers in the community and requested to contribute to their websites. The occasion, whenever it comes, is extremely flattering. There you thought that nobody was reading your posts except bots, stalkers and humans with sub-human IQ levels, but, lo, not only are people still alive after bearing the weekly assault on their news feeds, they want me to write more! And with their blessings! So, well, after the celebrations subsided, I happily agreed to write a guest post for Half Baked Beans (the publishing house) blog, Half Baked Voices. Then came the realization: I hardly have any content going around on my blog, from where will I get enough gibberish for theirs? After a lot of hair splitting and coffee brewing, I decided to take a break and watch House. That's where is struck me: House! Sherlock! Dexter! Why did I not think of these gentlemen earlier?

Presenting The Era of the Super Geniuses. Enjoy! :)

Staying safe in the City

I returned to Delhi two weeks back. There is an element of paranoia in the evening breeze of the city. The other day I had to take an auto-rickshaw to get back to college. It was barely six in the evening but my heart was beating like a drum. It's not like I'm faint hearted, I can travel on my own and take care of myself. But a few days back, a friend of mine was walking on the street and two men on a bike tried to snatch her phone from her. She managed to save it, but the incident left it's impact. The city is merciless and you can't trust any corner. Staying safe is number one on the priority list.
I managed to scramble a list of some things you can do to keep yourself secure:

1. Carrying pepper spray, chilli powder or in extreme circumstances, deodorant. Come on women, walk to that pharmacy and buy a can of mace. Or order one online. How hard can it be? Or is it just laziness? Or denial?

2. Being alert. Not letting yourself get involved in phone/laptop/book or conversation. Pay attention to your surroundings. If using public transport, pay attention to what the driver and co-passengers are up to. If walking on the street, avoid letting yourself into dark corners or places where you'd be suspectible to harassment. When walking alone, paying attention is of the utmost importance. That text or phone call can wait.

3. If possible, carry a bulky bag. It intimidates people and can be used as a weapon.

4. Layer your clothes. I'm not recommending wearing burqas, but, a pair of leggings beneath that skirt or a scarf wrapped around your neck would do well to deter stalkers.

5. Create a scene. Scream, shout, threaten. No person who has ill intentions on his/her mind would like to draw attention to him/her self.

6. Looking confident and in control. I cannot stress this point more. People are quick to take advantage of a damsel in distress. So, even if you are on the verge of becoming one, never let it get to your face and bearing. I am horrible at remembering addresses and directions and prone to getting lost on every other trip I make outside. I'd like to believe that there are other women out there who too feel lost or out of place at times. And it is situations like these when you look most vulnerable and susceptible to exploitation. The trick here is to maintain your composure no matter what. Walk as if you own the place. Ask for directions, ask questions, but don't let the panic get to your voice.

7. Don't hesitate to call the police, security guard or the helpline numbers. They've been installed to help you.
Helpline number for Women: 1091 & 011-24121234In addition to this, Delhi Police has a whole list of helpline numbers for women in different parts of the city. http://www.delhipolice.nic.in/home/helpline/helpline.aspx

The fault

Who are we to go around blaming the system, the police and the government for everything that's happening? Have we looked inside ourselves, seen how we all are as responsible for the sorry state of women in the country as much as anyone else?

Years ago, my parents say India was a safer place for women . My mother could stay out till after dark with her friends, playing and hanging out. As the years went by, we imposed curfews looking at the inflating crime rate. Did it make things better? No. Are things worse now? For sure. In the convent school I studied in, in Agra, my elder sister's batch wore skirts. Ten years later, salwar kameez was made compulsory for all girls in middle school and higher. Did it make things better? No. Are they worse today? Yes.
When did all of this happen, India? Probably when we were busy keeping our women inside and sending the men out, teaching them their roles and places. This mindset everybody is rushing to condemn has been built by us over the years with the women are as responsible for it as the men. Teaching their girls to stay indoors and behave decent but forgetting to teach their boys to respect women. The fault lies with the society and it's teachers. 'Don't do this, it's not proper for a woman too behave this way, behave like a lady, girls are not supposed to be doing this, it's for the guys only'- treating women like objects.
The fault lies with the girls for letting themselves be assaulted and tortured, raped physically and mentally and not do anything about it. The fault lies with the family for telling her to remain silent because speaking out brings a 'bad name' to the family.

The events of today are not a wake-up call for the government or the police, they are a wake-up call for us. Why did we remain silent for so long? This is not the first crime nor the last but why did we have to even bear any of it over the years? Nothing can be built in a day and something which has been growing for centuries cannot be broken down in a day either.

I'd like to ask every person out there walking on the road holding placards or sitting at home using the social media, are you willing to face your faults before pointing your finger on someone else? You need to change yourself before you go out attempting to change the world. The conviction and strength to bring about a change would come only when you're living it. Otherwise we're looking at just another rape, just another death and just another public outburst.

Love Marriage v/s Arranged marriage: A Heavenly Affair

 

( This post is my entry for Indiblogger and Sony Entertainment Television's contest 'Love Marriage v/s Arranged Marriage'. )




Something was wrong up on cloud number nine. All the gods and all the angels were assembled in the judgement area. Varuna, the god of law sat on a throne the head, facing all the others, holding a thick wad of notes and a winged hammer. 'Friends, gods and heaven-men, we are gathered here today to discuss and revise the procedure of matrimony on earth. For as far back as we remember, our matrimonial department has been deciding who marries whom and arranging the necessary circumstances to make it happen. However, in the past hundred years or so, human beings have started to question our role and stopped leaving marriages to chance. Man meets woman, believes himself to be in love and decides to get married. Or family meets family, decides to mingle and the next available bachelors of their lots get hooked. In other words, humans are taking the matter in their hands and failing miserably. We have to get back in control and our matrimonial department needs to speed things up. Every day we sanction millions of marriage, based on our observation. But the question is, in which direction do we wave our wands? Love marriage or Arranged marriage. The house is now open to debate.'










(Hindu God Varuna)










(Hindu God Kamadeva)


First rose Kamadeva, the God of Love.


'Love is the foundation of any relationship. Love makes the world go round. You cannot expect a co-dependent relationship Not based on love to prosper. In marriage, there are countless trials and tribulations. If the participants do not share a special piece of each other's hearts, how will they strive to work together and achieve happiness? We have made the humans so complex, their dreams so vast, their intellect so involving, it would only be just if we allowed them to explore and adjust before making a commitment. '


'Oh you praise humans unjustly! I have found them to be ridiculously ignorant and stupid. The youth, especially. Day-to-day decisions petrify them. How can we expect them to decide on a matter of life partners at such an age? They change theirs minds in a heartbeat! Did you hear about that popstar in Las Vegas? She was married for 55 hours!', Shiva, the Destroyer, fumed.


'You cannot generalize the fate of the whole human population based on the errors in judgement of a few, Shiva! I am appealing to your logic and reason here, my friends. Marriage begets children. Children need love and protection. Two clumsy strangers, struggling to understand each other- what are the chances of consensual decisions? I believe every human we've sent down to mortal earth, has some unique quality. One deserves a chance to let that quality surface and find the other person his song resonates with. We've seen Man choose his friends so carefully. We've seen him split his hair over matters of Science and Commerce. Then why shouldn't He be given choice in this matter? After all, we have made animals too, with a capacity to love and choose who to love. Surely, Man is more accomplished?', Kamadeva retorted.


'Idealism. Empty idealism. You are good with words, Kamadeva. Better use them in books. I have heard humans love them so much..', started Shiva, but was stopped by Varuna.


'Now, now, Shiva, Kamadeva! We must realize this is not a matter of who's thoughts and observations are more profound. I do agree both of you have your reasons and examples, duly noted. I suppose we should take inputs from the audience of ghosts among us. Who better to guide us than the people who've been there. Any volunteers?'


A man got up.

He looked around at the crowd of people assembled there, gulped and started. 'I did not know how to talk to girls. I spent years practising- in front of the mirror, role-playing with my friends- but gained nothing. I even tried alcohol - you know, like Raj in TBBT, but, no. Every time I tried to make contact with a girl, my tongue would get stuck on the roof my mouth. Oh, I was quite the laughing stock! Main bahut pareshaan rehta tha ( I was in utter despair).

But ever since I got married, my life changed! I thank my parents for finding me a match. In less than a year, I became the most dashing husband with the hottest wife. Mere friends mujhe hero bulaane lage (my friends called me a hero),' he ended, chest puffed.


'Wives! Believe me they are a tricky lot! I, too, being an obedient son to my parents, agreed to marry the docile, homely girl-next-door. I still remember how she looked on the day of our wedding. Innocent like a young kitten. Little did I know that soon I would be the circus animal and she the ring master! I like heaven, I am safe here', a middle-aged man finished.


'Hear hear! I too had a similar story. Only difference being, I dug my own grave. I fell for a girl so bad, I lost the power to think. I got married in haste, only to spend a life in regret. She was a gold-digger', a bespectacled man wearing Armani stated.


'Marriage for money? Isn't that like prostitution?', a woman cried.


'Do you expect to feed stomachs with love?', another retorted.


A tirade of comments followed. Varuna made his winged hammer zoom across the room to quiet the commotion.


'Arranged marriages are the worst. I died of an arranged marriage. They demanded a dowry of twenty lakhs. We only had fifteen. They burned me.', narrated a young girl. A shocked silence followed.


'No evil deed goes unpunished, my dear girl. Hell has the worst in store for those who did this to you', stated Varuna solemnly.


'Break Time!', exclaimed a divine voice. A group of Apsaras emerged out of thin air and took to dancing on the stage. Whistles, cat-calls and applause...








'I asked daddy to find me a rich boy! I was tired struggling for grades and jobs and promotions. I wanted a smooth, luxurious life where I wouldn't have to move a toe. It worked well,' a lady remarked, filing her finger-nails.


'It is not easy to marry your love in today's scenario. I spent years dreaming of marrying my high school sweetheart , until her parents sent me an ultimatum- get a job, get a wife. Here I was in California, working on my thesis and there she was tying the knot with a software engineer fresh out of the factory', recalled a man.


'It is not easy to marry your love, indeed. I met the perfect a man a few years before my demise. He was handsome, intelligent and funny...', a man started. Several heads turned in his direction. Some smirked. 'Yes, I am gay. Oh come on, don't look at me like that!', he grew embarrassed.


'Now, folks!Don't ridicule the guy!He has every right to fall in love and marry whoever he pleases!', Kamadeva rose in defense of the man.

More commotion followed.


'All I want to say is that, with gay marriages being legalized and everything, a decision in the favour of arranged marriage from your side would make matters bad for my kind', he quickly blurted and sat down.


'You know, there's always live-in', a punk said.


There was a collective gasp among the crowd.


'That is enough! You see now, Varuna, how their minds run! The human race is headed to doom! I shall go down and finish the business with my dance of destruction!', Shiva grabbed his trident and jumped up.


Parvati ran to calm him.





'A German philosopher once said- A good friendship is the basis for a good marriage. Friendship, we know, is easier and more accepting than love. But then, every form of companionship requires us to cross the friendship hurdle. Varuna, let us concentrate on letting the mortals create grounds for building a solid friendship. Everything else should fall in place', concluded Parvati, in her steady flowing voice.


Shiva stood dumbstruck, taking in the wisdom of his wife.


A warm fuzzy glow, which may be red, spread over the clouds.

Somewhere on earth, a couple smiled at each other and shook hands.


The end.



# Are you mortal?

# Do you have similar doubts?


Try: http://www.facebook.com/LoveYaArrange

It's Time/Project Unbreakable

What can I say about the shocking incident in Guwahati? You can assume I am saddened, horrified, disgusted and angered. I can pen down a tirade of abuses against the molesters, against the police action and the inaction of the mob assembled around the victim. I can complain about the insensitivity shown by sections of the media and the government bodies. I can express how I loathe stepping out in public after getting to know about incidents like these. I can express sympathy with the poor girl and vow to not rest until justice is achieved. What difference does it make, anyhow? I am just a voice out there,among millions of people who are similarly befuddled, horrified, enraged and ashamed by this and countless many other incidents. I have no idea when and how justice will be brought about. Ay, I have no faith in justice anymore. I do not know how we can ever put an end to this. There is a colossal amount of work to be done there. I do not know if I will live to see a change. What I do know is that a woman has been wronged and I'd weep a silent tear to it. I can only hope she heals, with all the pain our society is going to put her through, I pray she is able to bear it.

It is with respect to this process of healing that I'd like to share about something I came across a few months back.

'Project Unbreakable' was created in  the October of 2011 by Grace Brown. Grace works with survivors of sexual assault, photographing them holding a poster with a quote from their attacker. Through Grace's work, thousands of victims have been able to come forward, discuss their pain and participate in an experience they've titled 'Healing through Art'. Going through the pictures on Tumblr, I was deeply disturbed and at the same time, very moved. Through this initiative, people are getting a chance to speak out, to express themselves and tell their assaulters that they are made of sterner stuff and wouldn't be broken down.

Have a look at Grace's work here: http://projectunbreakable.tumblr.com/

I think we, as responsible citizens of the country, ought to take inspiration from Grace's beautiful work and set out to make a difference in the lives of those who have been wronged. It won't do to just sit and discuss, act horrified and worked up and then distract yourself to get the images out. It just won't do anymore.

Breaking News

Youth Against Apocalypse
18th July 2011,New Delhi

Predictions of Apocalypse in 2012 has caused great uproar among the youth of the nation. The youngsters in delhi,specifically students of Delhi University, are planning to go on a protest against it, for want of a better thing to do. Students from different parts of India, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna and Bengaluru are also pledging their support to the protest in Delhi. In all,a total of around 2 lakh students are expected to show up in Delhi and around 2000 of them are expected to turn up at the candle light rally at India Gate. Invites have been sent out on social networking site Facebook (check your inbox).
Leading the agitation is 22yr old Shahrukh Roshan(name changed) from SRCC. 'My fight is against those astrologers,religious scholars and filmmakers who are spreading propaganda about the world ending in 2012. Why,I ask them,could they not have come up with their reports a few years earlier? I could've had a decent childhood. Do they even have any idea about the cut-offs at SRCC?' He's furious.
Farhan Qureshi(name changed), a first year student at St.Stephen's, though, has a completely different viewpoint 'I demand the Government of India to do something about this! We just can't let the world end! I mean I've tried so hard and got so far, don't tell me that in the end, it doesn't even matter! Where is NASA and all-powerful USA when you need them? Why aren't they doing something about it? Where is superman goddammit!! I protest! What happened to my right to life??'
News of the agitation has brought response in the form of a series of tweets from the bollywood community. Actor Imran Khan has lashed out at the system for 'playing a ridiculous game with the youth of the nation.'
Ram Gopal Verma is planning to make a movie on it. He tweets,'I want to capture the emotions of the youth who are fighting against apocalypse. This film will be a psychological study on student life.'
Scientists and Manmohan Singh are still maintaining that there's nothing to worry about and that the situation is 'under control'.
But Gayatri Devi (name changed again), alumni of St.Xavier's, Mumbai, exclaims,'How can we not worry?First the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, then the freak floods and fires..and even Rajnikanth got admitted to the hospital!the world is ending..'.

Anna To Join Protest
Anna Hazare has lashed out at the congress for intentionally delaying the drafting of the lokpal bill to january 2013. 'The congress is playing dirty games, they know that the world is coming to an end in 2012 and so they have postponed the date for the Lokpal Bill. I'm going on an anshan against this decision! They should either do something about the apocalypse or prepone the date. Citizens,get ready for another battle for Independence!',he was quoted as saying.
Swami Ramdev was, however, unavailable for comment. It seems he has left the country for a vacation on his island. How long this vacation is intended to last,nobody knows.

Happy Independence Day?

Lets not be fooling ourselves, its an anniversary we're merely
observing. The 63rd anniversary of the britishers leaving India.
Not an anniversary of independence.
Set free from the clutches of the British, to be caught in those of
corruption and politics, India is still not free to make any decision
not controlled by these factors.
Why am i being so judgemental?or you may say,sentimental?
'cuz every 'happy independence day' hurts me, forces me to think of
India, and there is a dull ache somewhere..
I'm no true patriot.I'm just an observer.
I observe ignorance,hypocrisy..

And i observe people observing the '63rd anniversary of..', and being happy about it..