A tendency to Hide...

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It starts off as a simple act that all of us have gone through / go through / will continue to go through. What is wrong with that, one would say? After all it is a natural tendency of a normal human being.

It is about Hiding. Leaving aside the fact about the word being a Verb or a Noun or can be used as an Adjective, simply speaking, it implies concealing something from sight. What one conceals from sight could vary. It could be a person, an object, a fact, a happening, or what ever...

Question that came to mind was why? It could be making ourselves scarce in a shopping mall, when we see some one who we simply don't want to meet or have the person know that we have seen them and don't want them to see us. It could be as simple as hiding something from some one. This could either be due to not wanting the other to know, or simply concealing it for what ever reason, good or bad.

The fact that hiding or concealing any thing, gives us more pressure, tension, sleepless nights, worries, becomes secondary in these cases. What takes importance all around is the fact that we need to conceal something. At any cost. Even when one looks at history, since time immemorial, concealing has been a habit. Initial thoughts were that one learns this from their peers, or family members, or friends, but when you see a one / two year old baby, hiding something with glee, and we find that extremely cute, one wonders. Where did the baby learn this from?

Where did it start? Probably from the Mother of all Mothers, Eve, who started it with eating the forbidden fruit without telling God. Call it concealing or hiding, one would say, it started from there. Ventured down millennium, through generations, small or large, good or bad, it continues unabated. And the way it goes, probably would go down future generations too.

I am not sure if this can ever be stopped, or would mankind ever reach a point where they would not hide / conceal any thing. Is it feasible? Is it possible? Is it sustainable? People would be exposed, there will be no secrets, every one will know the truth. It could spark fights, wars, but would it ever reach a point where people don't care any more.

The other extreme is Non Mankind. The one we call Animals. I am not sure if they hide anything. And if they do, what and where? Guess, we have a long way to go.

Rape... A Joke?



(c) D&G

It was the recent article in the Newspaper (as always). A woman accused a man of forcing himself upon her and had filed a Police Complaint. The person was accused of raping the woman, as he had had, physical relations with her for the last two years and now refused to marry her.

Another case was filed, where a woman complained about being raped by her friend, who had taken indecent photographs of her during their relationship, decided not to marry her and the woman termed it as Rape.

The question that I have is, Is this Rape? Now before I get lambasted for this supposedly Anti women comment, my question is simply based on the facts that are there on both these cases. Yes, I agree, that Rapes in India are becoming like the common cold, however there is an increasing if not an equal number of cases, mostly in the urban cities, where Rape cases reported are on the increase and an increasing number of them are being reported as women having relationships with men, who eventually turn back.

Fact also being of the recent question by the Supreme Court, whether a failed affair is a valid ground for Rape? The fact that the highest court in the land has raised this question, highlights the levels of low's that the system is being dragged into. Or the way it is being used?

For sure, India is probably among the top nations where Rapes seem to happen regularly (of course stats for other countries could be equally worse), however the fact does remain, that in our sincere earnestness to provide justice to the oppressed, is that justice also being misused?

There does exist an old saying, the Law is open to interpretation or There is a loophole in every rule, it is how people exploit these to their benefit. I am not debating or denying the fact that women are the oppressed lot in India, however a stark reality also is that many are now using this as a tool to get back at people.

Failed marriages, broken promises, relationships, are all becoming causes for complaints by women, many charging these as Rape. Some countries have even gone to the extent of increasing Sexual Harassment Laws to such an extent, that men are afraid of paying a lady a genuine complement, for fear of them being called Male predators

Many a time one hears of cases where women state that there are explicit photographs of theirs, that the men took of them, many who state that they entered into a physical relationship with some one, as there was a promise of rape and so on. Unfortunate that many men use these women as objects of leisure, but then, are these women too not to blame? Are they not aware that they are being used as pawns and not Queens?

As one goes through many a case, one finds these to be educated women, not the rural village women, but women, who are settled, have a good life, a family, and yet you see an increasing number falling to the guiles of men.

Am not running a morality debate or a contest here or stating that women are not being oppressed, but yes, as one hears more and more of such cases, where men are dragged into courts on grounds of disrobing a woman's modesty, one does wonder... Is this a power that is being misused? Is this power that has been given in excess?

The fortunate part is, that even though on the rise, is still miniscule compared to the real horrors, the only fear being, that at some point does not become a case of Cry Wolf.

A 5 Year Mela.. The Indian Election

Change, they say is inevitable. It has to happen, no matter what a person tries. There could be a change either through the standard generational process, where one generation retires and the next one take over, or it could be through usurping power, or through the power of the common man, who demands it.

My inference of course is to the last part, more so with the Indian Elections recently being completed. A process of voters selecting their candidates who they believe will work for them. A process that runs across the country, in the true sense, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, covering every state, city, town, village, district in the country. A process that spread across all religions, not having any preference for any caste, race or culture, old or young, simply that one was an Indian and was over 18 years of age. The number of people invited to this event: A Mind Boggling 800+ Million. An Event called, The Indian Election.

What is impressive, is that this event has taken place 16 times. Every 5 Years. Sixty Five Years in total. Without fail. Without major incidents. Never scrapped. With an average of nearly 50 Million new users exerting their voice every 5 years. A friend of mine compared it to the 12 Year Kumbh Mela, that too being of a huge magnitude, however that is confined to one area. The Election is an across the country run, the comes out with an outcome that may be expected or unexpected. It may show a continuance of the previous management or demand an outright change where in new leaders are sought and they bring in their theologies, their ideologies, their thoughts.

The current set of Elections proved just that. A Government in power for a decade, a party that ran the country for nearly Six of the 6.5 Decades of Independence, a Party that was considered to be the very basis of Indian Existence, a party that was well over a 100 years old, a Party that was the forefront in pushing for Indian Independence. Wiped Out!

The Media coined in different words of being Destroyed, Decimated, Obliterated and why not. For a party with such legacy, being whittled down to a state, where they could not even muster enough strength to challenge the new Government on their own, was a major change.

Leaders come and go, Governments get elected and also pulled down, but what is commendable about the Indian Election is the peaceful manner in which it is done. There are the usual incidents of reports of violence in some / many constituencies, but more and large, one sees a peaceful change and a mutual understanding between the outgoing and incoming parties. 

Leaders for all their fallacies, be it incompetency, ineptitude, arrogance and some times even indifference during their tenure in power, accept the voice of the people and rarely, if ever has one seen any Minister, or leader refusing to step down. The one time it did, the people of India simply responded in the next election. They voted the party out.

This in a country where more than 50% are illiterate, where nearly 70% live below the poverty line, these are the people who truly define change, these are the people bear the fruits of their decisions even if wrong for 5 years, but when they get a chance, they ensure they exercise it. On their own, through coercion, through manipulation, but done. Some where a lesson both in terms of Management of such a large event, to a lesson in understanding cooperation and coordination, where people from different walks of life, all come together for a uniform cause, to acceptance, that when people are not satisfied with your results, they will ensure they change. 

Either themselves, or the ones who run them. Mostly it is the latter.

Pedestrians.. And their Right of Way.

Image Courtsey Wikipedia

It was simply a crossing. A Pedestrian crossing to be precise. And of course, it was being used by the people it was meant for. The Pedestrians, the people who walk as opposed to the ones who were driving or were in a car / bus that was being driven by some one else. 

Now this is not a high handedness post against people who walk or a post praising the people who drive.. After all, the ones who drive too, have to walk some times and yes, they too need to cross the road. I mean, if John, Paul, George and Ringo crossed the road, why not you and me. 

Back to the post, issue being more of our wonderful pedestrians who consider crossing the road at any time their natural birth right without being stopped, challenged and is the responsibility of the car drivers to stop, even if it means that the traffic is on hold for 20 minutes, while people saunter across a street line of 10 - 20 meters to cross over. 

I remember during my College and initial working days, when I used to alight at Churchgate station and come out either on the Eros or the Fountain side, the entire bunch of people used to stand near the signal, with a traffic police man holding a rope to stop people from running across the street. Evenings, the same on the other side. 

What I could never stop wondering was, that there was a signal that provided the Walk / Stop Sign. Despite the sign, there was always a traffic cop standing holding up a rope to prevent the pedestrians crossing off the street when the cars were in motion. Same action when the signal turned Red. The cars had to be flagged to be stopped, else they would not. The Walk signal turns red, the pedestrians had to be stopped, else they would not! The question always was, why cant people follow rules? 

Going to Bombay to study, from a country where I had grown up and people followed such traffic rules, to see a case where there were none, was always a mystery. I also recall an article that had read long back, with an image to support. Comparison was between Bombay and Beijing, people crossing the road. Both Metropolitan cities, with millions residing in it. 

The comparative was that outside Bombay stations, two cops stood with a rope in hand, preventing people crossing, and yet people pushing the rope or getting down on the road. The Chinese version was a single lady cop standing at a crossing, without a rope, hands behind her back and not even looking at the crowd. Yet, not a single person broke out of line or dared to step on the road when the signal was Red. It was quite a funny comparison, but now when ever I recall that photo, cannot but think, that was probably reality.

The difference one may say could relate to the level of maturity and education that is passed in society from one generation to another, an impact of children seeing what their parents follow and ingrain within themselves, or simply due to fear of rules and penalties for non compliance. Of course, the other fallout also is in countries, where the Pedestrian is considered king and the fault no matter what remains of the driver.

In a place like Bombay, one can only imagine the wrath of the people who would break a persons car for no reason, for the slightest injury to a pedestrian, even if the pedestrian's fault, to a city where people know the cops will fine the driver if they are hit and they will get compensation. 

As I cross across inner lanes and even when driving across roundabouts where I have the full right of way and can drive at a full clip, I always meet Pedestrians, who either take it as their right of way, to walk across no matter if a car is coming down, to idiots (dominated by women), who are busy texting while crossing the street (one actually stood in the middle of the road), to a few who simply saunter across, as if a walk in the park, to those, who casually cross while chatting on the phone.

The combinations are many and yes, I too cross the road often, but then, I pride myself on following rules, following the signs, waiting until the light is green and wait my turn. Looking at the various species that are filled across, I wonder, am I doing something wrong?

You?