Live And Let Live - Jeeyo Aur Jeene Do!

Is that a very difficult feat to achieve? Apparently so, as would appear from the thousands and thousands of domestic violence cases, recorded not just in India but worldwide. There is no particular strata or class or caste of the society that this disease is restricted to. Yes I choose to call it a disease, a mental one obviously, cos only a psychological imbalance can lead to brutality towards other humans.

Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai!

-          Some people are like clouds. When they disappear the day gets brighter.

-          I think stupid people were put on this planet to test our anger management skills.

-          Kuch log bubbles ki tarah hote hain, dekte hi fodne ka mann karta hai!

I’m sure this happens to many of you. Sometimes its them, sometimes our mood. Bottomline is Albert Pinto ko Gussa Aa hi Jaata hai!

I believed, wait why believed, I truly am quite a calm person unless someone rubs me the wrong way. Don’t get misled. I am not a Gandhian. I will not offer my other cheek if somebody hits me on one. But I do tend to control my emotions in a lot of provocative situations. Lately though I’ve started realising that the emotions are not just under our control in today’s overly modern, overly technological, overly connected, overly loud and over-the-top world. 

Agar Tum Na Hote!

A world sans internet! Hard to imagine? All the more difficult to believe that we lived and survived without this indispensable monster two decades ago. To say that its taken over our lives would be an understatement.

Akele Hain toh Kya Gam Hai! – Go online

Khoon Chusne Bloody Monday Aaya – Go Online

Confusion hi Confusion hai Solution Kuch Pata Nahi – Go Online

Shaadi Ka Khayaal Dil Mein Aaya Hai – Go Online

5 Myths About Stressbusters

♬ STRESS STRESS BABY..ting ding ding tiki ding ding ♬

• Honk honk honk, it’s got to be the end of time!
• Would it have killed them to have just one more hour in the day!
• Why’s the freaking pressure cooker not whistling!
• Will I find the Rs.251 smartphone in my child’s pocket one fine day!
• Am I just taking away water from my next gen!

From local to global, so many things playing on the mind, at the same time, with the same speed.

Faking It!

Those of you who jumped out of the bed and closed that  bedroom door, kindly get up once again to open it fellas. Nope this is not the faking of ‘that’ kind, and no there are no tips on doing or detecting it.

Fake tans? No. Fake fingernails? No. Fake eyelashes? Oh heavens, no. I’m talking of the Fakeness you and I encounter day in and day out. We either stand at the receiving end or we very blatantly do it ourselves.

Rewind, Edit & Play!

Have you ever given this a thought? What if you had this unbelievable super-power, the option of rewinding your life and editing one unwanted portion?

I see many female hands going up in unison. The demand being SRK. Yes SRK has changed the way romance is perceived and love is defined. And yes, ‘Dilwale’s’ snippets have refreshed memories. I’ve come across so many statuses lately, of females drooling over SRK and how he’s killed romance for them forever. Reason - nothing can come close to DDLJ and KKHH. Agreed. But it’s the Rahuls and the Rajs we all are in love with dearies. In real life, we need to check with Gauri Khan if it’s really worth it.

Knock Knock..Porn There?

- A 12 year old boy was crying cos his website wouldn’t load.

- Embassies were flooded with dejected lost souls looking for an abode where their needs are understood.

- There was a long procession; miserable men (masked if married) were holding placards ‘Give Me Some Sunshine’.
- Psychiatrists' clinics were overflowing with depressed desperate guys. Men who've grown up practically living off the virtual world to realise their fantasies. Men who are shaken and their lives are stirred.

Pink Lips

What lengths should we really go to for cosmetic upliftment, is that a very tough question today? In the olden days, the answer was very easy. Have you lost your mind, my great grandmom and grandmom would've asked me in return. When it came to my mom's generation, it was about being well presentable, that is it. Forget about plastic surgery being on anybody's radar, it would've on the other hand been totally unimaginable back then.

Cannot Stress It Enough

This subject may be boring for some of you but do read it nonetheless. If it helps in making even a minor change, I shall be glad.

Over the last couple of months, life has been pretty stressful for me. I hear a lot many of you saying 'ditto'. If not recently, you might have experienced it in the past, a one-time thing for some, and a never ending saga for some others. One thing's for sure, nobody's untouched.

Life and lifestyle have changed drastically over the last decade for all of us. Advanced technology, globalisation, free exchange of data and information, have created dramatic effects. New opportunities opened up, people moved up a notch in financial status. One can see innumerable advantages, but there's no denying that this is also having an impact on our health, directly or indirectly. Career problems, relationship problems, family problems. Reasons may vary, personal, professional, but it's there. All around us. Stress.

Juvenile...Even Years After He's Fertile?

The juvenile laws in india are under scrutiny. Finally. Long overdue, wasn't it? The dictionary defines juvenile as 'not fully grown or developed' or 'someone who hasn't reached sexual maturity'. By any stretch of imagination, would you say that an 16-17 year old in today's times fits this definition? Don't bother to answer that question, it's rhetorical. 

For God's sake, the boy is capable of producing millions of sperms on a daily basis around the age of 13! So basically he attains manhood much before the law thinks he's become an adult. And many of these boys, with unrestricted access to the Internet, do and explore as much, if not more, than an 18 year old. You know what I mean.

You Are My Chicken Fry ....

In modern cities, people get together to grill and leave huge balls of fumes in the air, as they chat and drink endlessly, gossiping about jobs and the hardships of the developed world. But I'm absolutely not referring to such barbecues or making you privy to an endless rant about half or fully grilled pieces of chicken. The subject matter on my mind today is the very infamous AIB Roast. It's never too late to bitch/talk about anything, is it. As a writer, who expresses opinions in public, it is very natural I talk about something where the world was divided on where the line be drawn in expressing.

It would be silly of me to start explaining what I'm talking about, mentioning names etc. I don't think there's any netizen (an Indian one at least) who's not aware of the fiasco in question. But for the benefit of those who tuned in late, here it goes. Ace filmmaker Karan Johar joined hands with the over-the-top Ranveer Singh and the trying-too-hard Arjun Kapoor. And together with the AIB gang, they roasted and roasted, until the chicken got burnt and inedible for most Indians. 

The Idea of Roasting ....

Roast is a concept imported from the West, like most other innovative ideas originating in the creative minds of our country (let me not get into roasting!) The idea is to honour a celebrity with outright sleazy cheap jokes and insults. The language is abusive and vulgar. Well, the concept which is a hit in the West, was very widely condemned and criticised in India.

To See or Not to See ....

Now now, raise your hands who among us had a hearty laugh at the Roast videos. Ok, maybe not all of us. Next question, raise your hands who all increased the YouTube traffic to get a glimpse of what really transpired. Oh come on, most of us, I know. I was one of those who added to the millions of hits on the video, while my toddler peacefully slept, blissfully ignorant of that kind of language in his life to date.

I am a woman, and a woman hailing from a decent background with decent family and friends. Most importantly  a mother. Yet, I watched the videos. And inspite of the big gasps, and cries I made during the show, the thought of raising my voice for a ban on the show didn't cross my mind. 

Such content is to be viewed at discretion and is to be strictly kept out of the reach of children, 100%. But banned, really? How does it matter whether what was on display was liked by me or not? There are thousand such visual products, shows, movies et all, which we dislike, criticise, maybe hate. So what? Does that mean the makers have no right to showcase their talent or whatever you may choose to call it? It's by no means fair to stop someone from expressing what they want to, simply because you and I don't like it, isn't it? 

Ban, Really? ....

I particularly have a problem with the hypocrisy of those men, who dont hit the bed without a peek at the hot videos on their smartphones. And when it comes to raising their voice in public, would object to such content, to impress their girlfriends or the babe they probably have the hots for maybe?

And what good are we achieving, when the big bad world of Internet welcomes every single soul with open arms. And every kind of adult, horrific, negative piece of data is accessible to  all at the click of a button. You can delete the Roast of the Singhs and the Kapoors, but if I'm really upto it, I can watch Charlie Sheen or Justin Bieber being roasted, can't I? And what about the modern day movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, which have been applauded for their brutally honest depiction of the rural and criminal ways of life, including gory scenes and abusive language.

Mind you, I'm in no way suggesting I'm in favour of what the AIB guys and the Bollywood guys did. I don't even want to get into a debate on the quality of the content. All I'm saying is, India is a democratic country. Freedom of expression is one of the basic foundations of a democracy. And the more we are broadening our horizons as a country, the  more we need to let every voice be heard. Let every adult decide for himself what's right and wrong. We can make recommendations, give suggestions, set examples, but not dictate. That only causes revolt.

The creative souls should never be chained down. Let them lose. That's how you and I will build an open and mature society for our gennext.