Exchanging the Garlands....

Caste Away ::

WE MATCH BETTER screams the JEEVAN SATHI.COM websites punchline.. But WE MATCH BETTER on basis of what? This question has provided a reality check? WE MATCH BETTER on basis of religion, caste, mother tongue etc. Match making has always been a big business idea in our country which is so PRE OCCUPIED with marriage. With over 5 million Indians finding their prospective partners through this medium, matrimonial websites are doing brisk business in their own right. A preliminary visit to this website confirms this reality. Anybody looking for information on castes, sub castes, gothram, nakshatra etc are just a mouse click away. If caste is becoming so irrelevant, as some metropolitan urbanites want us to believe, then why don’t these sites reflect this trend? Why don’t these sites completely give away with the caste and religion column and give more impetus on Ideology, education, attitude and overall personality. This unquestioning acceptance of the traditions, which painfully are

Reflections: 26/11 and beyond

The first anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks is slowly approaching and it’s a good time to introspect and take stock of the situation. On 26 th November last year, despite all the warnings and intelligence reports of an attack in any form, Mumbai was attacked by ten terrorists who took the easy way inside our territory- the sea. I don’t think anyone anywhere alive on that day will ever forget the shock and agony that struck and gripped Mumbai for more than 78 hours and permanently etched a terror scar on India. Even though we mourn the deaths of so many innocent people during the attacks, this dark incident has touched every Indian. But what about our response? It has been cold, naïve and irresponsible. The Indian government’s response to 26/11 has been woefully inept and shoddy. We still have not succeeded in putting more international pressure on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to book. The AJMAL KASAB hangover is still looming large on us. We keep on sending dossiers

An ENIGMA called pArEnTs !

For me and my own image as one of the boys, it has been a fulfilling experience so far. I have been extremely lucky to be born in the family which I am now. My class- which tells me and more often reminds me the expectations that society around me has. A sacred pact- that tells me, that I can have a house, a car, access to higher education, good meals, a warm bed to sleep on with- it is something that more than half of the population can only dream of. In return, I have to behave myself, act like what my parents wants, constantly think about the societal pressures, pretend that I have no desires, can’t smoke and drink at my own will, can't even be seen buying them, can’t decide which higher education to go for, cant fall in love with a female from a different community and can’t live and enjoy life on my own terms. This wonderful symbiosis is well explained by my upper middle class parents. Any threat to their respect and status in the society is seriously taken. And when things go

U can carve YOUR own way !

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