An Era of Shame

India - the nation known for its age old culture and traditions, is now being called as the "land of rapes"..

Source: news.oneindia.in

A couple of days ago, when the media was holding discussions about the "gun culture" in the United States of America, did any person speak or even think about the pitiful situation in our motherland.?
In the country where people worship goddesses such as Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati and many more on festivals, women are no longer respected and considered below men in all respects..

Call it the war of sexes or proving superiority in the society dominated by men, India has reached the pinnacle of shame..
Women in our country are sexually harassed, tortured, beaten and even burnt alive in some extreme cases..
What is the reason for all this.? Why are people turning into beasts.?

According to reports-

(Source: http://www.legallyindia.com/1114-in-india-a-rape-is-committed-every-54-minutes)

1.  A Rape is committed every 54 minutes;
2.  Molestation every 26 minutes;
3.  Kidnapping or abduction every 43 minutes;
4.  Eve-teasing every 51 minutes;
5.  Dowry death every 1 hour 42 minutes;
6.  Criminal offense against women every 7 minutes.

It is not surprising as to why parents fear having a girl child as she might have to face a tough time in future.. In a country where someone who bring life into existence is not respected, nothing more can be expected..

Eve-teasing is now a thing of the past and perverts have begun to manhandle the fairer sex.. While other crimes like murders, burglary, kidnapping, extortion, etc are increasing at an alarming rate, rape cases have gained more limelight than other forms of crime.. Another surprising fact is that since 2007, about 20 people accused of rape have been given party tickets to contest in state elections.. What a shame..!!

Source: postnoon.com

We have earlier talked about increasing unemployment that has forced people to indulge in criminal activities.. But what is the reason behind increasing rape cases in India.? One among the many reasons for this is the blooming porn industry that the people have easy access to.. Most teenagers cultivate the habit of watching adult websites under peer pressure and due to increasing curiosity about physical relations with the opposite sex.. These websites should be blocked as soon as possible.. Making stringent laws to prevent such occurrences, is an entirely different thing..

For those who feel that "provocative clothing" is responsible for increasing rape cases in India, its time for a reality check..
Do you think that a 2 year old girl wears provocative clothing.? What about the 63 year old woman who was raped at her home in Delhi.? Was she wearing revealing clothes.? And what do you have to say about the incidents of rape that have been reported in rural parts of India.? Do they wear provocative clothes.?

The recent Delhi rape case shook the entire nation.. The 23 year old victim (or rather a Fighter) who remains to be in critical condition as I write this post, was manhandled by 6 men in a bus.. Her male friend who was with her at the time of the incident was also attacked and both of them were thrown out of the vehicle.. Today, women are scared of stepping out of their homes at any hour of the day in their own city.. their own country.. Isn't this humiliating enough.?

This is not the only case.. There has been an incident where a son raped her mother, a father raped her 18 month old daughter and another where a brother, along with his friends seduced her 5 year old sister and them raped her.. The line between human and animal has been crossed time and again but judicial action is still awaited.. In most cases, rapists either get bail or no evidences are found against them.. When the bill to increase salaries of parliament members could take just 2 days to pass, why can another bill about safety of women be passed.?

When people took on to the roads of the capital city in peaceful protest of the incident, they had to face the brutality of police forces who hit the crowd with sticks and used water cannons against them.. When the citizens pay tax on time, don't they have the right to ask for security.? Why do politicians forget the promises that they made at the time of campaigning.? A top business person or a celebrity or a politician enjoys the highest level of security and the Aam AAdmi (Common man) fights for his basic rights in the country, ruled by the might of billionaires..

People will keep fighting for justice and politicians will continue to form committees and organizing meeting to solve the problem.. But, at the end of the day nothing is done and we, the people move on and the past is forgotten in the light of another tragedy..

Does Apple miss Daddy.?

Apple Inc. - The American electronics manufacturer famous for its innovations and offensively priced gadgets continues to make huge profits on its latest baby-the iPhone 5 in spite of multiple glitches and countless consumer complaints..

It might not sound good but the truth is that the tech giant is slowly losing its hold in the global market..

Facing stiff competition from arch rival Samsung and other mobile manufacturers such as Nokia and SONY, the company is likely to make profits only because it is an "Apple" rather than because of  the features it offers..

On 5th October, 2011 Apple lost its daddy, Steve Jobs..

This is probably the reason for its downfall.. Although there has been no decrease in profits, its latest offerings lack the X-factor that the pre-Steve products had..

The recent launch of the iPhone 5 made it clear that Apple misses its Daddy..

In fact, the latest series of events involving Apple's patent issues with Samsung and replacement of Google maps with its native application have shown how insecure the company has become..

I refer to Steve Jobs as the daddy of Apple because it was him who had earlier revived the company and brought it out of a financial crisis.. His will power and innovation gave the United States a new hope in the Smartphone market..

The launch of the iPhone in 2007 sent out a clear message to rivals that mobile phones could be made without buttons too..

This paved way to massive phones with extremely large touch screens.. Steve Jobs was responsible for the revolution..

photo: bgr.com

In addition, he created a music oriented device - iPod; A larger phone having computer like capabilities - iPad; A laptop as thin as a smartphone without compromising on performance - MacBook Air..

But these innovations reached a saturation point after the demise of the co-founder..

The latest presentation headed by the new CEO Tim Cook saw the launch of iPhone 5 and the new range of iPods.. None of these products promised anything new and Apple-like..

Moreover, the new smartphone faced stiff criticism over the heavily flawed maps application and lackluster design..

The features are old and other manufacturers had incorporated them in their devices about an year ago..

Steve Jobs would have never launched such a flawed and boring product..

Apple has never appealed to the India buyers thanks to its crazy pricing allowing it to compete with two-wheelers, which is ridiculous..

Apple-the company that made people think if their second kidney is important, lacks the WOW-factor now..

What will make people buy the new range of products largely depends of its pricing and marketing strategies.. However, it is unlikely that Apple will have a person like Steve Jobs in the near future..

Nienawidzę pożegnań

We are always taught to be independent..

However, human is a social animal and this can never happen..(at least not with me)

Our dislike towards 'farewell' only reminds us of our intricate mutual dependence. Not even the strongest man on the planet can live alone.

Wherever you are, however the situation is, you always want someone to be with you.. understand you.. appreciate you.. Today's youth needs acceptance, which they get neither from their parents nor lecturers.

Life had lost its purpose.. People around him were only a bunch of back-stabbers.. The ones who were very close had begun to avoid him.. 'Friends' was a word only in the virtual world of Facebook.. 

But life changes for a reason.. This person who had been rejected everywhere had been accepted by someone..

This life-less soul got to know many things which he never knew about himself.. Life had finally begun to untangle itself..

Could one person actually change him.??

Could he/she teach him what life is.??

Could he/she teach him how to love.??

YES.!!! YES.!!! That person did it..

Something people had been trying to decode since a decade was accomplished within 20 days..

The gears were shifting at an unmatched speed.. He did not know how to react but still enjoyed the change as it came..

However there was fear of detachment.. But as they say, "the show must go on".

Some people enter your life as a breeze and cause a tornado..
This guy was introduced to one such person..

And the events that followed were destined to occur..

The friendly interactions.. The fun they had.. The naughty jokes..

These events were intense and as every beginning has an ending, it had to end some day..(Although this guy never wanted that day to come)

One thing in life that hurts more than anything is bidding farewell to a person with whom you are very attached..

All the memories appeared as a flash-back..

The good thing about a camera is that it can capture moments.. The bad thing- it cannot capture human emotions..

As the finale came closer, there was nervousness.. a sense of insecurity.. But on the contrary there was also happiness of spending time with an amazing human being.. And being a part of their life..

This was indeed not an end but the beginning of a new chapter in life.. His favourite chapter.!!!

Someone he had met a fortnight ago, had become a 'special one'..

The day came sooner than he had had expected..

All the time that he had spent with the 'special one' flashed before his moist eyes..

He was angry with the creator.. And asked- "why do people get attached.?"... "why aren't all the people as good as the 'special one'.?"... "why does time fly so fast.?"...

Although he knew that he would not get an answer, he still made an attempt but it went in vain..

He was scared.. Scared of what would happen when they were apart.. Whether he would be able to successfully control his emotions..

Though the answers were not given, he managed to figure out the kind of impact it had on life..

The 'special one' once said, "Everything happens for good."

The type of adventure associated with the Good-bye made it further special..

It could prove only one thing- A person can go to any extent for his/her loved ones.. And given the fact that it was the final 'real' interaction, even the impossible could be made possible..

And then, it was over.. A tight hug followed by flooding of the tear glands..

And they bid farewell with a promise of keeping in touch till their last breath..

A miserable feeling of loneliness engulfed him.. The world appeared colorless.. The cruel world was awaiting him.. But then, he thanked Mr. Zukerberg for the wonderful creation called Facebook..

Life is cruel at times.. One has to learn to move on..

People come and people go but the memories associated with some 'special ones' stay with us forever..

"You never leave someone behind, you take a part of them with you and leave a part of yourself along"..

Is Internet Censorship Curbing Freedom of Expression.?

Internet is a tool which can link up people around the world..
It made possible for us to communicate with people from the other side of the world..
Social Networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Orkut have brought about a revolutionary change in the way we communicate today..
It is a digital medium to share ideas, pictures, videos.. Practically everything..!!
Blogs, however cannot be considered as a part of Social Networking, but is surely a great way to share your life on a global platform..

So, when internet is such a good thing, why are governments of various countries planning to censor it.???
This topic has long been debated..
Some want only the social networking websites to be censored whereas a few others want to keep a check on search engines like Google and Yahoo..
Countries like China, Bangladesh and Pakistan have already banned Facebook because of public display of inappropriate content(pertaining to religion, defamation or nudity)..


When this proposal was made in India, it attracted huge criticism from users..
They did not want a third-party to moderate their personal content..(which was very right indeed)
Websites, however decided to comply with the terms and conditions given my the government..(well, did they have any option.?)
Twitter came up with a country-wise filtering technique..
Blogspot, run by Google Inc. will now filter the blogs..
Facebook has removed all objectionable content..


What made the Government do this.?
Well.. The problem was with the users/consumers of this resource..
Internet was made for a good cause of imparting/sharing knowledge.. A new and easy platform for long distance communication..
People misused this public forum..!!

Today, there are hundreds of hate-pages on social networking websites.. Thousands of morphed images of celebrities.. And millions of pornographic websites..
Shouldn't the government clean this first.?(Oh.. then how will the ministers watch obscene videos in state assemblies, in case they are bored.?)
Why should search engine results be refined.?
This probably cannot happen because of their sophisticated algorithm..(here is the algorithm)


Is offensive content the only reason behind censorship.?
Why are websites that are serving anti-government and similar information being chosen for censorship.?
Does the government want to polish its image.?
Is this an attempt to silence the critics.?
Is it time we realize our duties as a citizen.?
Is India on the verge of becoming another China.?
Many questions to be answered....

Examinations...

"Examination"..!!
The most terrifying period for any student in the world..
Trembling hands, pounding heart, sleepless nights are all side-effects of this..
This is the time when all the budding Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists..everyone gets indulged in something they hate the most- studying(i refer to 95% of the total student population)..

In India, 'examination' has been considered as the 2nd most feared thing after death..
Well.. With the kind of education system we have, developing a phobia for exams cannot be ridiculed..


The history of examinations in India dates back to the Ramayana period when Lord Rama and his brothers had to undergo tests..
However the printed form was introduced in 1818 at Schrewsburg, London..
With the introduction of many new subjects in the 2nd and 3rd quadrant of the 19th century, examinations got tougher to crack and lost their radical purpose- to test the thinking capability and knowledge of an individual..
With a drastic increase in the number of students appearing, examinations became a method of elimination..
And to pass the examination, students began to get into cheap tactics such as 'copying'..


This gave birth to the "number game" .. marks.. percentages.. jobs.. money..
Undoubtedly, this was a reason of great concern..
Few thought that ending their life could be a great way to get rid of this misery..
Statistics reveal that 6500(average between 2001 & 2010) students commit suicide every year in India due to poor academic performances and fear of not meeting their parents' expectations..
"Colleges are like old-age homes, except for the fact that more people die in colleges"

Several nations have brought about reforms in their education system..
Needless to say, Indian ministers were too lazy(or busy) to do anything of this sort..(managing huge amounts of black money is never an easy job either)..


"Exams are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer"..
This quote by Charles Caleb Colton, perfectly matches the current examination scenario in India...
In the coming years, we can only hope that the examination system changes for the betterment of students..