My Ode to Reality

Wishing all a Happy English Language Day! Whether you like it or not, English and its nuances are a surefire way to achieve big, academically as well as professionally.. Give this subject/stream the due focus and time that it deserves.. Nothing quite like mastering the #1 global language, that is increasingly becoming the medium of instruction all over the world, besides giving great dividends in interpersonal and social spheres.. English, formal as well as colloquial, can be an empowering edge, no matter which stage of life you are at, and despite what you intend to pursue careerwise.. The U.S.A. citizens that I came across in my two visits sadly bore testimony to the fact that underestimating and being unbothered about learning mothertongue (of Americans, Europeans, etc.) can cause huge damage.. It isn't just about how high you can score in the Exams/Tests of English language, but about being able to articulate and convey what's on your mind, effectively and with confidence..

Today, being World Consumer Rights Day, and I having worked on the beat of Consumer Forum, during my stint as a Reporter, I wish to highlight a few observations regarding Consumer-rights.. 1. Caveat Emptor (Let The Buyer Beware) always applies, no matter what the product or service.. 2. In countries where Consumer is (treated like the) King, for example, in the U.S.A., the customer is rightly empowered and given his/her due.. Even in case of a service-deficiency or a bad/damaging product, people have sued the said company, and got compensations ranging from few thousand bucks to lakhs of them.. No organization gets away with malpractices W.R.T. utility, pricing or after-effects of stuff that it sells.. 3. Capitalism, Consumerism, or Material-wealth, they have been adopted to serve a specific purpose by developed nations, and that is, to raise the standard of living of its people, and to allow optimum utilization of its populace's faculties.. While socialist/welfare-state kind of po

On World Day of Fight Against Sexual Exploitation, I urge everybody to follow some basic steps to remain safe, inside their residence and otherwise.. 1. Message cab-details/Cabbie-information to family everytime you step out.. 2. Do not drink (or eat) anything offered by strangers, as it could be spiked and you could be an easy prey to the predators.. 3. Carry Swiss-knife/Chilli Spray/Pepper Spray in your bag, always.. 4. Learn martial-arts for self-defence, and make your kids learn it, too.. 5. Eat well; be strong and full of agility, stamina.. 6. Keep a list of important contacts in your phone/bag handy, just in case.. 7. Life insurance, Mediclaim are not optional; they are the highest Return-on-Investment form of your expenses.. 8. Drive carefully; do not let your odhni/dupatta sway in the air while you are riding your two-wheeler.. Wear helmet always.. 9. God forbid, in case of an emergency, think on your feet, and decide your course of action as quickly as possible.. 10. Keep your

Tomorrow, being International Day Of Social Justice, I request each one of you to define and determine 'Justice' in your own unique way.. Because, I.M.O., sentencing of convicts and not learning the relevant lessons from the gazillion offences, does not amount to justice or fairness.. Usually, we chuck our stupor after an atrocity has been meted out, and this is definitely grave Injustice.. We are, as a land of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, not supposed to revel in a horrendous criminal's hanging till death, because that would be a reaction, and not a pro-active step towards true social justice, so why pat our own backs when an offender is convicted and the quantum of punishment has been decided, and may be, the culprit has died as an accused in jail ? The wiser way to look at justice would be to not let ghastly crimes occur, if you can help it.. And, to raise our voice for the toothless laws and the unresponsive system to change, and to usher in a wave of mental ba

I am worried-sick about the wellbeing of my unborn daughter, even as I try to restore my own sanity after watching news about the macabre killing of a girl by five inebriated people, who were driving with abandon in Delhi-NCR on that fateful night.. I remember an advert in which Superstar Shah Rukh Khan would voice his concern (along with a host of other persons) about bringing a child into this cruel, incorrigible world (this is before welcoming his third kid).. If my child lays his hands on the newspaper about such pieces of information, I bet even they would raise that question.. Why are we sht-scared about our children switching on the Television, and why can't we trust nobody ? Is misogyny and resultant false sense of entitlement incorrigible ? Are we at the mercy of drunkards who play music loud enough to not notice that a life is in mortal peril under their vehicle for kilometers on end ? How do we tell our children to feel secure and well-guarded, when they head out for a p

O.K., at the risk of sounding a bit too critical, who among you agree that today's music and rap just objectify, portray in a desperate light, short-sell us women.. I mean, a tad of explicity and arousal is justified if you are in love, but why does man have to be a baddie and a cheapskate if he would want to really impress, please and woo a woman, expecting her to feel like a million bucks when you are just overdoing your idea of girl to be an object of lust.. "तुझे घर होना चाहिए, Barbie Doll के साथ,"? While this is hyperbole, the tendency to give women a demeaning treatment and to make them go nuts about you when you have no intention to catch them, is all-pervasive as per lyrics of today's songs.. As if we have got nothing else to do apart from seeking intimacy whenever and wherever we head out.. I object.. Think about what kind of impact such music when played in the presence or company of children & adolescents would have.. Incorrigible, Male-Chauvinist-Pig,