At whose cost ?

It was a party time at office, all were discussing about the happy occasion that was going to occur shortly. We were heading to a joyful outing for the weekend. Though all were working, there was full of enthu in every one’s face and a festive mood. I was not very keen on the party this time for various reasons, but still, after looking at every one’s rejoicing attitude, my mood cheered up. Well! I was not sure to join them. It was the lunch hour, and all were enjoying sharing food and cracking jokes, unfortunately I could not participate completely because I was not so acquainted with their means of communication. I mean to say, their language is different and I was able to understand only in bits and pieces. However I was happy that they considered me as one among them to much extent.

Much to our shock, some one shouted saying there is a bomb blast in Bangalore. “What!!” was the initial reaction. At first every one took it lightly as a part of humorous aura and we thought it was a practical joke. But, for heavens, it was not the one. It was very much true and all of us started tuning NDTV and TV 9 for news flash. It was a threatening fact that there were 2 blasts. Unable to digest the news we were all sitting in front of the computer blinking. Every one again startled by the knowledge that it was not 2 but 3 blasts!

The fun and festive environment at office all went for a toss. Every one started calling their dear once. But, as predicted, all phone lines were jammed. Suddenly we came to know that, my newly wedded colleague’s wife was there at the spot where the blast took place, but unable to reach her. It was such a pathetic situation. All were pressing their phone key pads again and again but in vain! In a very short span we again got a news shock that the count of the blasts had incresed to 5!! At that time no one wanted that party or fun or even work. Of course life is important right! Ultimately it was more distressing when we came to know that it was totally 8 blasts by that time and most of them took place near to our office surroundings! Complete office environment changed just in an hour’s time.

By that time we came to know that one lady lost her life in this malicious incident. At whose cost should she loose her life? Who knows how wishful her life was and how she wished her future to be! At whose cost should all of us loose our harmony? The common people are always unite and peaceful. Regrettably it is only one set of the population, who wants to create such feeble acts for their own benefits. Who are held responsible for this entire traumatic situation? The terrorists? Or the popular, masked political terrorists? Or the sadists?!

ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳ ಸುಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ...

ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳ ಸುಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಿಂದು
ಈಜಿ ಹೊರ ಬರುವ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ

ಕಾರ್ಕೋಟ ವಿಷ ಸವಿದು ನುಂಗಿದರೂ
ಚೇತರಿಸಿ ಉಸಿರಾಡುವ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ

ಕತ್ತಲ ಹೊಗೆ ತುಂಬಿ ಕಪ್ಪಾದ ಕೋಣೆಯ
ಬೆಳಕ ಜ್ವಾಲಾಮುಖಿಯ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ

ಕೊಳೆತು ನಾರುವ ಫಲದ
ತಾಜಾ ರಸದ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ

ಮತ್ತದೇ ನಿರೀಕ್ಷೆಗಳ ಸುಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ
ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತವಾಗೇ ಉಳಿಯುವ ಬದುಕು

ಏನು ಬೇಕು?

ಉಟ್ಟ ಬಟ್ಟೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಹೊರಟುಬಿಡಬೇಕು
ಕಾಡು ಕತ್ತಲು, ಬೆಟ್ಟ ತಪ್ಪಲು
ಸುತ್ತಿ ಸುತ್ತಿ ಅಲೆದಾಡಬೇಕು
ಹುಡುಕಬೇಕು, ನನಗೇನು ಬೇಕೆಂದು

ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಬಿಟ್ಟೋಡುವ
ಪಲಾಯನವಾದಿಯಾದರೆಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನ
ಜೀವನವನೆದುರಿಸಿ, ಗೆಲುವು ಸಾಧಿಸಿದರೆ
ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನ

ಆದರೆ, ಯಾವುದು ಸೋಲೋ
ಯಾವ ಗೆಲುವೋ?
ಸೋಲೇ ಗೆಲುವು?

ಆ ಅನುಭಾವಿ ಹಂತದಲ್ಲಿ
ಸೋಲುಗೆಲುವುಗಳೆರಡೂ ಒಂದೇ
ಸೋತರೂ, ಗೆದ್ದರೂ ನಿರ್ಣಾಯಕ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಯೊಂದೆ
ಮತ್ತೆ, ನನಗೇನು ಬೇಕು?

Everything ls fair in money and marketing?

20 gorgeous (but dumb) girls plotting against each other to impress 2 guys and try to win their ‘love’, the guys in turn flirt with all of them, date with them and ultimately choose only 2 (one each) and ‘dump’ all other girls.

This is called the ‘Romance Reality Show’. Switch to MTV any time, you will find at least the trailers or the advertisement on this stupid show called splitsvilla. The whole concept proposes a ridiculous scenario. Any sensible person is sure to get frustrated by this one.

The reason being, firstly, it depicts a complete chauvinistic, bigoted implication. A girl pleads, the guy dumps! (well, fair enough if its genuine). The words such as, ‘dump’, ‘dumping zone’, ‘reach the guy’, ‘date with both of them’, etc. can envisage the outlook of the program. Secondly, the concepts like ‘romance’, ‘love’ are more intense than just the inane commercialism and the money games. Love is more chaste than the bony flesh and the bikinis and begging the guys to choose them. Love is a silent speech between two hearts (no, am not being poetic) and jelling of the two intellectual persona and definitely not the sequential dumping of girls and girls’ much abided struggle to make the guys to choose them.

Let me reveal more pathetic story. Neither those girls nor the boys are responsible for this mediocre program. They are just paid puppets, who come, act and go. They are the commercial devices for making money. The innocent audiences like us are being royally bullied by these commercial markets, by making good profit out of it.

In a broader sense, if we come out of ‘splitsvilla’ and think, this splitsvilla iconization is not new. We have many like this in today’s capitalistic society. Our culture and dignity are being vaporized. Somewhere I feel we are loosing our roots. In the brutal capitalistic society, every thing is considered as fair and true. This is true to such an extent that even human relationships are loosing its values and are being commercialized!

I don’t dare to call it westernization because that would be a hyperbole. There are plenty of good things that we can learn from westerners. This is nothing but the ‘carefree’ attitude of us that’s leading to a wrong way. This doesn’t mean that I am an anti modernist. No, we have to get trendy and modern but only in its true sense.

What do you say friends?