Moments
Moments make and shape one’s life. Sometimes a single moment can engulf a lifetime of success and sometimes a moment can give success to last many live. A moment you cherish whole life and a moment you detest forever. These moments make life. Your life is nothing but a collection of handful of memoirs which in turn are made by those moments.
Remember the time you first rode you bicycle without side wheels. Daddy had assured you that he will keep on holding the cycle. You put all your faith in him and start pedaling. Suddenly you feel that you are cycling too fast and you look back. Dad is standing far behind and smiling and waving at you. You panic and just stop pedaling. You fall down and hurt your knee. But in that very moment you have learnt cycling. Now you have the confidence that you will never fall. In that one MOMENT you have learnt to trust yourself.
Remember the first time someone had died in your family. You had always believed that nothing bad can happen to you and your family. The worst that could happen was you getting hurt. There would people around you comforting you when you will get hurt. But now how can you comfort them? They all are crying. You too can feel the loss. You too feel empty within. There is void that has been created by going of that person. But still you are not sure how to respond. You are waiting that someone will come to comfort you. But nobody comes. This time you will have to comfort yourself. In that very MOMENT you learn that life is not always pleasant.
Remember the day you first saw your little sibling. He was so tiny. You had always wanted a young friend to play with. But perhaps he is too small. And yes, too delicate and too fragile. You worry that if you will pick him up you will hurt her. And then somebody places him in your lap. He his enwraps fingers around one of your fingers. In that very MOMENT you have suddenly grown up. You are no more the youngest.
Remember the time you had first flunked in your math’s exam. All the way from school you were thinking of an excuse to tell mummy. ‘The teacher is bad. He holds a personal grudge against me. Even the topper barely passed………….’ And when you actually see mummy you burst into tears. And surprisingly nobody scolds you or even mentions the exam. In that MOMENT you learn that time has come that you will have to take responsibility of your actions. Whatever you do is finally going to affect you and no body else.
Here I have collected a few moments which I think are common to most of us and have taught us some of the most valuable lessons of life. These are few of the again very few moments that last a lifetime and change a lifetime.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
the first elections
The First Elections
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
With these words of Jawaharlal lal Nehru, India awake to a new dawn. Before her laid the future envisaged by great leaders. Before her laid the optimism of millions of people who had dreamt oft the day ever since they started dreaming. Before her laid the pessimism of west who believed that India will now become a battlefield of religious and racial forces and will be pushed several centuries back in the history. Before her laid the task of rehabilitating millions of people who had been displaced from the land which they called their home. Before her laid the task of countering the religious forces who were looming their ugly heads over democracy. And most importantly before her laid the task of rebuilding the biggest democracy of world and prevent it from falling into the traps of imperialism, capitalism and communalism.
25th October. Though mostly forgotten, this date has as much importance if not more as 15th august or 26th January has in Indian history. On 25th October first general elections started in free India. More than anything they were an act of faith. A matter of faith people of India had placed in national leadership when we got independence. From many years of servitude and before that a history of autocracy people of republic of India were suddenly introduced to adult suffrage. The first general elections were a test for people of India. They had to prove to the world that India could run its government itself. But it was not an easy task.
176 million Indians aged twenty one or more, of whom 85% were illiterate. Each one had to be identified, named and registered. Party symbols were to be designed for a mostly unlettered electorate. At stake were 4500 seats. 224,000 polling booths were constructed, and equipped with 2 million steel ballot boxes.380,000 reams of paper was used for printing. These numbers alone can demonstrate the sheer magnitude of task that lay before the country to make these elections fair and successful.
Other than this geographical and social problem were too faced. India is a mass of land, vast and widely diverse. It spans from the heights of Himalayas to small islands in the south. Socially, people were not aware of the importance of adult franchise. Women had never come out of their houses. In fact, they didn’t have their own names. They were rather known as A’s wife or B’s mother. Now they had to stand in a queue with a man not their husband or son to vote and decide the country’s future by voting for a man again not their husband or son.
In the tahsil of Chini in Himachal Pradesh first votes were caste by a group of Buddhists. For a country as a whole about 60% of registered voters exercised their franchise this despite more than three fourth of the total population were illiterate. At least in this first elections politicians and public were essentially law abiding. It was one of the biggest experiments of human history comparable to French and American revolutions.
After the first elections congress emerged as the single largest party and Pt. Jawaharlal lal Nehru was elected as the prime minister of sovereign socialist democratic republic of India.
India had finally got hold of the reins of her destiny. She now was a free state with a government elected by the people for the and of the people. India had awakened to freedom. The new dawn had come.
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
With these words of Jawaharlal lal Nehru, India awake to a new dawn. Before her laid the future envisaged by great leaders. Before her laid the optimism of millions of people who had dreamt oft the day ever since they started dreaming. Before her laid the pessimism of west who believed that India will now become a battlefield of religious and racial forces and will be pushed several centuries back in the history. Before her laid the task of rehabilitating millions of people who had been displaced from the land which they called their home. Before her laid the task of countering the religious forces who were looming their ugly heads over democracy. And most importantly before her laid the task of rebuilding the biggest democracy of world and prevent it from falling into the traps of imperialism, capitalism and communalism.
25th October. Though mostly forgotten, this date has as much importance if not more as 15th august or 26th January has in Indian history. On 25th October first general elections started in free India. More than anything they were an act of faith. A matter of faith people of India had placed in national leadership when we got independence. From many years of servitude and before that a history of autocracy people of republic of India were suddenly introduced to adult suffrage. The first general elections were a test for people of India. They had to prove to the world that India could run its government itself. But it was not an easy task.
176 million Indians aged twenty one or more, of whom 85% were illiterate. Each one had to be identified, named and registered. Party symbols were to be designed for a mostly unlettered electorate. At stake were 4500 seats. 224,000 polling booths were constructed, and equipped with 2 million steel ballot boxes.380,000 reams of paper was used for printing. These numbers alone can demonstrate the sheer magnitude of task that lay before the country to make these elections fair and successful.
Other than this geographical and social problem were too faced. India is a mass of land, vast and widely diverse. It spans from the heights of Himalayas to small islands in the south. Socially, people were not aware of the importance of adult franchise. Women had never come out of their houses. In fact, they didn’t have their own names. They were rather known as A’s wife or B’s mother. Now they had to stand in a queue with a man not their husband or son to vote and decide the country’s future by voting for a man again not their husband or son.
In the tahsil of Chini in Himachal Pradesh first votes were caste by a group of Buddhists. For a country as a whole about 60% of registered voters exercised their franchise this despite more than three fourth of the total population were illiterate. At least in this first elections politicians and public were essentially law abiding. It was one of the biggest experiments of human history comparable to French and American revolutions.
After the first elections congress emerged as the single largest party and Pt. Jawaharlal lal Nehru was elected as the prime minister of sovereign socialist democratic republic of India.
India had finally got hold of the reins of her destiny. She now was a free state with a government elected by the people for the and of the people. India had awakened to freedom. The new dawn had come.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Puppy Love
love comes in all forms and faces. it may come unexpectedly. or it may take years of searching to find that love. but what exactly is iy remains a mystery for me. i mean what does one feel like when he or she is in love?????
in movies they say that u don't get sleep....u dont feel like eating....u feel like doing anything.
but alas! i have never felt any of those. when in anxiety i tend to eat more, i tend to sleep longer. as far as doing anything is concerned, i never feel like doing anything. does that mean i have never been inlove?? maybe!
there have been times when i felt as if i am in love. nothing to do with my sleeping or eating. just my mind said so. just that someone seemed nice and cute and lovable.......umm.....list can go on. but after few days feeling just seems to vaporise. u don't feel the same way for a person. your legs don't shake when you look at him. you feel too lazy to get up and reply to the lousy forwarded joke he has messaged you. and then if the things don't work out you feel kinda liberated. if they keep working fine u dont actually feel anything. and then this new guy comes into picture. he seems even more cute, even more nice much much more lovable and oh gosh!! you are falling in love again. you just go to your boyfriend and tell him that things won't work out. or maybe wait for him to say so. which in my case happens a lot.......lol.and then again the things repeat in a similar fashion. and in the process if you dont find anybody again with whom you fall in love you keep on thinking of all the guys you were ever in love with. you analyse them find mistakes in them. and console your heart you will find someone definately better. so folks thats the form love has taken for me as if now.
but on a serious note i too want to find someone with whom i actually fall in love. who always appears cute and nice and whatever. till then search is on. i will keep on trying people and omit them from my list and help them to omit me from their lists as well. maybe by hit and trial i may actually find the love of my life in an unexpected form.
search is on.........entries invited......all the applicants will have to go through my test of love....lol
in movies they say that u don't get sleep....u dont feel like eating....u feel like doing anything.
but alas! i have never felt any of those. when in anxiety i tend to eat more, i tend to sleep longer. as far as doing anything is concerned, i never feel like doing anything. does that mean i have never been inlove?? maybe!
there have been times when i felt as if i am in love. nothing to do with my sleeping or eating. just my mind said so. just that someone seemed nice and cute and lovable.......umm.....list can go on. but after few days feeling just seems to vaporise. u don't feel the same way for a person. your legs don't shake when you look at him. you feel too lazy to get up and reply to the lousy forwarded joke he has messaged you. and then if the things don't work out you feel kinda liberated. if they keep working fine u dont actually feel anything. and then this new guy comes into picture. he seems even more cute, even more nice much much more lovable and oh gosh!! you are falling in love again. you just go to your boyfriend and tell him that things won't work out. or maybe wait for him to say so. which in my case happens a lot.......lol.and then again the things repeat in a similar fashion. and in the process if you dont find anybody again with whom you fall in love you keep on thinking of all the guys you were ever in love with. you analyse them find mistakes in them. and console your heart you will find someone definately better. so folks thats the form love has taken for me as if now.
but on a serious note i too want to find someone with whom i actually fall in love. who always appears cute and nice and whatever. till then search is on. i will keep on trying people and omit them from my list and help them to omit me from their lists as well. maybe by hit and trial i may actually find the love of my life in an unexpected form.
search is on.........entries invited......all the applicants will have to go through my test of love....lol
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Gandhi
who is gandhi? or rather what is gandhi?
are you mad? you dont know gandhi? he is the father of nation. we got independance because of his efforts. he alone stood against the atrocrities of britishers and defied their laws. and thus we are here today breathing free air. he is my favourite leader. even in school, when i had to write an essay on my favourite leader i wrote on mahatma gandhi. and remember gandhi market. a new shop has opened there. it has got a good collection of kurtis. that reminds me of khadi. gandhi used to spin wheel and he boycotted foreign clothes. he promoted khadi. actually khadi nowadays is in fashion. they have got this lovely showroom of khadi stuff at gandhi road. but it is very costly. actually it is a very posh area. all gandhians live there. remember that well dressed lady who was a part of debate on gandhi and his relevance today on a news channel. she lives there only. she was wearing a lovely silk saree. she made her point very clear. gandhi and his principles can never be outdated. one must never lie. i got so engrossed in watching that programme that i forgot to do my assignment on gandi. give me yours. i will copy it down. teacher will never come to know. who wants be gandhi. if he says anything i will complain about him. remember what gandhi said. never stand injustice.its no cheating. come on.i am not gandhi. when is the next holiday? i guess its on 2nd october. gandhi jayanti. that day the greatest son of india was born. you have any plans? we can go out.oh! i cant come. i just remebered that they will be showing richard attenborough's gandhi on t.v. what a great man gandhi was. even hollywood made a full blown film on him. not like mallika sherawat. she had blink a miss role in jackie chan's movie. he must be really famous man. he should have been born now. he would have wiped all the corruption and nepotism from the system. great man. god bless his soul...
are you mad? you dont know gandhi? he is the father of nation. we got independance because of his efforts. he alone stood against the atrocrities of britishers and defied their laws. and thus we are here today breathing free air. he is my favourite leader. even in school, when i had to write an essay on my favourite leader i wrote on mahatma gandhi. and remember gandhi market. a new shop has opened there. it has got a good collection of kurtis. that reminds me of khadi. gandhi used to spin wheel and he boycotted foreign clothes. he promoted khadi. actually khadi nowadays is in fashion. they have got this lovely showroom of khadi stuff at gandhi road. but it is very costly. actually it is a very posh area. all gandhians live there. remember that well dressed lady who was a part of debate on gandhi and his relevance today on a news channel. she lives there only. she was wearing a lovely silk saree. she made her point very clear. gandhi and his principles can never be outdated. one must never lie. i got so engrossed in watching that programme that i forgot to do my assignment on gandi. give me yours. i will copy it down. teacher will never come to know. who wants be gandhi. if he says anything i will complain about him. remember what gandhi said. never stand injustice.its no cheating. come on.i am not gandhi. when is the next holiday? i guess its on 2nd october. gandhi jayanti. that day the greatest son of india was born. you have any plans? we can go out.oh! i cant come. i just remebered that they will be showing richard attenborough's gandhi on t.v. what a great man gandhi was. even hollywood made a full blown film on him. not like mallika sherawat. she had blink a miss role in jackie chan's movie. he must be really famous man. he should have been born now. he would have wiped all the corruption and nepotism from the system. great man. god bless his soul...
My first Elections
My first elections
In school I had read and studied about elections. We were told that what sets India apart is the fact that we have a government which is elected by the people for the people and is constituted of the people. Such glorification of this great democratic exercise led me to believe that whatever may happen, in the end it is the power which is with the people will prevail. Though our system maybe corrupt, the freedom to vote and elect our government will nullify everything.
Hence continuing with my good faith in our democratic system I eagerly awaited my first elections. I was told that college elections will be fun and they surely were. We could get good long breaks in between the classes when candidates came for campaigning. Speech day was fun too. One could shout as much as he wanted. But of course you could not hear any of the speeches because of that shouting. Still, it was nothing what I had expected this GREAT DEMOCRATIC EXERCISE to be. Elections were supposed to start at 8.30 am. But at that time, college was practically deserted. Identification cards were not checked while allowing the entry. The best part was that I was still not sure to whom to vote for. My friends guided me regarding that and I finally voted. As far as university elections are considered, I simply did not know which candidate belonged to which party. So again, my good old friends came to my rescue.
This surely was not what I had elections to be. But then strangely, I am not very heart broken or disappointed though my so called faith has shaken up.
After giving the issue a thought I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am politically ignorant. Maybe it is just that I do not care enough who gets elected. Maybe I have this I don’t give a damn attitude towards the whole process though I don’t want to accept it. And finally maybe somewhere in my heart I know that all the high ideals I had about elections were a farce and a way to affirm my faith in the system I have been living in and living with.
In school I had read and studied about elections. We were told that what sets India apart is the fact that we have a government which is elected by the people for the people and is constituted of the people. Such glorification of this great democratic exercise led me to believe that whatever may happen, in the end it is the power which is with the people will prevail. Though our system maybe corrupt, the freedom to vote and elect our government will nullify everything.
Hence continuing with my good faith in our democratic system I eagerly awaited my first elections. I was told that college elections will be fun and they surely were. We could get good long breaks in between the classes when candidates came for campaigning. Speech day was fun too. One could shout as much as he wanted. But of course you could not hear any of the speeches because of that shouting. Still, it was nothing what I had expected this GREAT DEMOCRATIC EXERCISE to be. Elections were supposed to start at 8.30 am. But at that time, college was practically deserted. Identification cards were not checked while allowing the entry. The best part was that I was still not sure to whom to vote for. My friends guided me regarding that and I finally voted. As far as university elections are considered, I simply did not know which candidate belonged to which party. So again, my good old friends came to my rescue.
This surely was not what I had elections to be. But then strangely, I am not very heart broken or disappointed though my so called faith has shaken up.
After giving the issue a thought I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am politically ignorant. Maybe it is just that I do not care enough who gets elected. Maybe I have this I don’t give a damn attitude towards the whole process though I don’t want to accept it. And finally maybe somewhere in my heart I know that all the high ideals I had about elections were a farce and a way to affirm my faith in the system I have been living in and living with.
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