The Spirit of Africa
When I think of Poverty, I think of the Africans;
They are poorer than I, but stronger in their resolution.
They have an indomitable spirit, a never say die attitude.
They don't have water or education
And they inhabit areas with scanty vegetation
Most people have never seen a home or a proper life
Oh! the poor souls; they have only seen a lot of strife.
Wars and famine have ravaged their lands;
And turned the fertile soil into dusty sands.
But the people there toil from dawn to dusk
In coal mines and barren fields
Afterall, they must also eat.
Aids Virus, malnutrition and starvation deaths
Genocides and Locusts; They have witnessed all
Still they move on with life
From the Masai people to the bantu tribesmen,
From the Sahara desert to the Congo basin,
The valor and spirit of the African soars
Great African Land,I salute thee!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Beauty and The Beast
I have always hated the way i looked in most of my photos.The reason being that i could never accept myself for what i am.I have always felt something majorly lacking in my face.That's the word for it.... Beauty!
Think beautiful face and you may see the image of Aishwarya Rai flash before your eyes. I won't blame you for that b'cos I would think the same.These days her face has come to define beauty or so think most people.After all she is one of the "most beautiful" women in the world and she has also been compared to the beauty of the Taj Mahal.WOW! isn't that great. Wish i was she.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" is an age old quote.But it is true.What may seem beautiful to some eyes may not even be pretty to others.In todays times, looks sell more than personality.And people are willing to go under the surgeon's knife to get that "Glam Doll" look of a Bipasha Basu or a Celina Jaitley.These people and scores of "stars" like them have come to be the so called benchmarks of beauty.Gone are the days when people were accepted as they were..looks, personality et all. Sad! :(
But in the haste to look like the demi gods and goddesses of the big screen, most of us completely forget that everything we see, is in reality make believe.Believe it or not, but with the right kind of make-up and make-up artist, appropriate light effects, camera angles, a good photographer and a good camera, most of us could be transformed into gorgeous beings.True, Aishwarya is beautiful, but catch her sans make-up, viola.... she would perhaps look plainer than the average plain Jane.No wonder the "Stars" hate being caught on camera without the add ons (read make-up).If you ask me, the real compliment for most women looking beautiful these days should go to Revlon,Avon, Lakme,Chanel,Maybelline,Estee Lauder, Shiseido etc...etc. But for their foundations,lipsticks,mascara,eye liners,eye shadows, face powders and what not more.And not to forget the ingenious ways in which women use these cosmetics.
Why are we so obsessed with good looks? Is it that looking good can get you places or land you that plum job? Or is it in our genes? I for one have always been insecure about my looks.... that's because i have been the subject of ridicule in my younger years.I have been told very often that "Gorapan"(fairness) is what counts.It makes you look beautiful.Dark people cannot look nice leave alone seem beautiful.But i havn't seen any drastic changes on the faces of people who have applied tonnes of fairness creams.Maybe it bleached their facial skin, but it did nothing to change their perspective or thought process of how they perceive beauty.But that is another matter altogether and i shall dwell on it some other time.
So, if looking beautiful requires the application of creams and lotions, lipsticks and lip liners, shaving, waxing and threading ... i shall prefer to be the Beast.
I have always hated the way i looked in most of my photos.The reason being that i could never accept myself for what i am.I have always felt something majorly lacking in my face.That's the word for it.... Beauty!
Think beautiful face and you may see the image of Aishwarya Rai flash before your eyes. I won't blame you for that b'cos I would think the same.These days her face has come to define beauty or so think most people.After all she is one of the "most beautiful" women in the world and she has also been compared to the beauty of the Taj Mahal.WOW! isn't that great. Wish i was she.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" is an age old quote.But it is true.What may seem beautiful to some eyes may not even be pretty to others.In todays times, looks sell more than personality.And people are willing to go under the surgeon's knife to get that "Glam Doll" look of a Bipasha Basu or a Celina Jaitley.These people and scores of "stars" like them have come to be the so called benchmarks of beauty.Gone are the days when people were accepted as they were..looks, personality et all. Sad! :(
But in the haste to look like the demi gods and goddesses of the big screen, most of us completely forget that everything we see, is in reality make believe.Believe it or not, but with the right kind of make-up and make-up artist, appropriate light effects, camera angles, a good photographer and a good camera, most of us could be transformed into gorgeous beings.True, Aishwarya is beautiful, but catch her sans make-up, viola.... she would perhaps look plainer than the average plain Jane.No wonder the "Stars" hate being caught on camera without the add ons (read make-up).If you ask me, the real compliment for most women looking beautiful these days should go to Revlon,Avon, Lakme,Chanel,Maybelline,Estee Lauder, Shiseido etc...etc. But for their foundations,lipsticks,mascara,eye liners,eye shadows, face powders and what not more.And not to forget the ingenious ways in which women use these cosmetics.
Why are we so obsessed with good looks? Is it that looking good can get you places or land you that plum job? Or is it in our genes? I for one have always been insecure about my looks.... that's because i have been the subject of ridicule in my younger years.I have been told very often that "Gorapan"(fairness) is what counts.It makes you look beautiful.Dark people cannot look nice leave alone seem beautiful.But i havn't seen any drastic changes on the faces of people who have applied tonnes of fairness creams.Maybe it bleached their facial skin, but it did nothing to change their perspective or thought process of how they perceive beauty.But that is another matter altogether and i shall dwell on it some other time.
So, if looking beautiful requires the application of creams and lotions, lipsticks and lip liners, shaving, waxing and threading ... i shall prefer to be the Beast.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Quotas Galore - Who wants one !
Ever heard about Quotas? Well, i did. When i was a small girl and we had to travel down south to visit my cousins, my father who was an officer in the IAF, used to reserve train tickets using the Defence quota.That was the only quota i knew of back then. But now, everyone knows about Quotas.
A Quota means : A number or percentage, especially of people, constituting a required or targeted minimum. In India it has come to be of much importance and a hot topic of debate, these days. The recent ruckus that was created by the striking medicos opposing reservation of PG seats for OBC's has long ceased to be fodder for the press.But what is happening in India these days in the name of reservation is not going to pave a way for our future growth and development.There is no point in reserving seats for the underprivilaged in colleges if they have been denied primary education in the first place.By reserving 27% for the OBC's in the IIM's and IIT's , we are not going to achieve anything, if students from these categories can't clear their 10th standard in the first place.
The government should ensure that all children in India are given education in the first place. They should be taught the importance of education and how it can improve their lives.This will prompt them to pursue higher education.Hopefully, it will inculcate an atmosphere of competition amongst the younger generation.No one stands to gain from the quota system,least of all the SC's, ST's and the OBC's.Bring in the Quota and these people will stand to get tormented by people of the so called high castes.Hasn't this happened before in India?Why can't the Government learn a lesson?Competition and quality will take a beating if quotas are brought in.Competition, since students will compete to get the lowest possible marks instead of getting good marks.We may cease to find those hardworking students, as hardwork will know no meaning in the student community.As a result we will have people with lesser and lesser knowledge.This will affect quality in the long run.Don't be surprised to find quack doctors, engineers or architects in the near future.All a result of Quota policy.
And the government needs to make clear its stance on who it calls Other Backward Castes (OBC's).We seem to be getting into the rut of creating more and more demarcations in India, a country which is already divided on the basis of culture, language, religion and what not.And now we have people clamouring to become backward and most backward.In no time, you might also find new castes and communities being created just to avail the benefits of the "Quota".
But agree or not agree on this matter, there is a hidden benefit in this Quota system.As Children will not need to work very hard and study too much, they can atleast play or spend time in extra curricular activities.Atleast it would do us a lot good to see smiling kids on the streets, unlike these days where one only gets to see kids lugging very heavy school bags.
Think about it :)
Ever heard about Quotas? Well, i did. When i was a small girl and we had to travel down south to visit my cousins, my father who was an officer in the IAF, used to reserve train tickets using the Defence quota.That was the only quota i knew of back then. But now, everyone knows about Quotas.
A Quota means : A number or percentage, especially of people, constituting a required or targeted minimum. In India it has come to be of much importance and a hot topic of debate, these days. The recent ruckus that was created by the striking medicos opposing reservation of PG seats for OBC's has long ceased to be fodder for the press.But what is happening in India these days in the name of reservation is not going to pave a way for our future growth and development.There is no point in reserving seats for the underprivilaged in colleges if they have been denied primary education in the first place.By reserving 27% for the OBC's in the IIM's and IIT's , we are not going to achieve anything, if students from these categories can't clear their 10th standard in the first place.
The government should ensure that all children in India are given education in the first place. They should be taught the importance of education and how it can improve their lives.This will prompt them to pursue higher education.Hopefully, it will inculcate an atmosphere of competition amongst the younger generation.No one stands to gain from the quota system,least of all the SC's, ST's and the OBC's.Bring in the Quota and these people will stand to get tormented by people of the so called high castes.Hasn't this happened before in India?Why can't the Government learn a lesson?Competition and quality will take a beating if quotas are brought in.Competition, since students will compete to get the lowest possible marks instead of getting good marks.We may cease to find those hardworking students, as hardwork will know no meaning in the student community.As a result we will have people with lesser and lesser knowledge.This will affect quality in the long run.Don't be surprised to find quack doctors, engineers or architects in the near future.All a result of Quota policy.
And the government needs to make clear its stance on who it calls Other Backward Castes (OBC's).We seem to be getting into the rut of creating more and more demarcations in India, a country which is already divided on the basis of culture, language, religion and what not.And now we have people clamouring to become backward and most backward.In no time, you might also find new castes and communities being created just to avail the benefits of the "Quota".
But agree or not agree on this matter, there is a hidden benefit in this Quota system.As Children will not need to work very hard and study too much, they can atleast play or spend time in extra curricular activities.Atleast it would do us a lot good to see smiling kids on the streets, unlike these days where one only gets to see kids lugging very heavy school bags.
Think about it :)
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