Monkey before the Mother

The issue has comfortably taken the back seat. No one seems to recall that only a couple of weeks ago, an Indian cricketer apparently called an Australian player a monkey and was nearly compared to the Boers and the British. Arguments, counter arguments and a court hearing later, it was deemed that the former had abused the latter using a common, uncouth abuse 'Teri Maa Ki' (which mean your mother's ......).

Does a racial taunt deserve punishment more severe than one reserved for a person who abuses another 's mother? I couldn't believe it when the accused persons sentence was lowered from a level 3.3 offence to a level 2.8 offence. There was something morally wrong with the judgement.

A judge decided, I cant punish the offender enough only because he had the choicest abuses towards your mother and not your race. People in India were overjoyed by the verdict. They said justice had prevailed and an innocent man had been reprived after being provoked.

What happened to the Indian sentiments towards a mother. Dont you guys remember Deewar? and the 'Mere Paas Maa Hain' dialogue which made the movie so famous?

Well looks like the silver screen didnt shine enough and the mother's worth is only till her labour is over. People have moved on and they smile, share the same field, win, lose and continue to abuse.

I dont know if it ended up being a wakeup moment for Australia as a country. Recently the Prime Minister of Australia publicly apologised to the world in front of a packed media for past government policies that ended up creating the "Stolen Generation", Aboriginal children in Australia, separated from their mothers during birth as part of a national policy.



It would be reassuring if a similar awakening happened in India and women gained the respect they deserve and more steps are taken to curb abuses against them - verbal, physical or mental.

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright

I took this photo at the Columbus Zoo, Columbus, Ohio in September 2007. I always get patriotic feelings when I come across a tiger. It is the national animal of India but is on the endangered species list. The Government of India has a site dedicated to "Project Tiger", its earnest plan to protect the largest of the big cats. Please show your support to this majestic creature by visiting http://projecttiger.nic.in/ The next time you visit the zoo, adore this animal from a distance and don't tap on the glass.

Can you believe it!!!!

I have been thinking about writing my own blog for a long time and there are many who have inspired me. I always knew that my first post would be the toughest. I felt like the college geek who had stepped on to a dance floor and was still feeling shy about shaking a leg. I had to get the spirits in to let the spirit out, literally!

I wanted to start with my kudos to Pillayar and title the blog Pillayar Suzhi. (Indian elephant god, pot belly, single tusk and loads of brilliance). Curiously, I wanted to check if others were invoking his blessings at the start of their blogs. Yes, there were quite a few. So I decided to keep him where he would matter most - in the subconscious.

Every time I think about my work pattern these days I wonder which god would be most suited for the post. Yoooooouuuuuuu guessed it..... Pillayar. He wrote a lot we type a lot, we both use the mouse and boy can it transport us to different worlds ;) we think the world of our parents and we had intense sibling rivalry till we decided that careers should keep us apart. We probably are clothed a bit better than his brother.

Don't ask me if I thought so much and came up with just this. This is a left footer at matching Prabhu Deva in 'Oorvasi...' I'll get better and the topics more relevant.