Erase a Race

They say, in India, that caste based Reservations are rampant and menacing, and hence, they want to unravel it...

But,

They never want to unravel the caste factor, which is prevalent in every mode of social life, in India, right from rampant untouchability practices, across the nation, to menacing caste based vote bank politics.

By the way, when will God unravel the rampant tradition of reserved caste based access to priesthood and stop the menacing practice of marriage within own caste.

-()-

PS : Written for 3WWW for the hints Menacing, Rampant and Unravel

Exclusive-77 Fiction

Note:- 77 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of 77 words. 

Exclusive 

Having a passion for nature, he was happy to have his visit to Srisailam which is abode to famous Shiva temple as well as lush green beautiful tiger reserved forests.


It was his first visit and, as it was a festive time, he couldn't find any lodging.


He enquired with the concerned officials.


They told him there were many caste based community guest houses and asked him, "What is your caste?"

He said, "I am a Muslim".

Fair - 77 Fiction

Note:- 77 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of 77 words. 

Fair

.... 11 pm. 
He was alone in the bus stop.
He was waiting for the last city bus, since an hour, with 10 rupees in his pocket.
He was hungry and tired.
And to his rescue, the bus came but it didnt stop there.
He started running behind the bus.
While he managed to get into the running bus, the bus had stopped suddenly.
He was about to thank the driver, but the driver had stopped it for a gal.

PS : We have fair fares for the fairer gender. Unfair!!!  :)

Journey - 55 Fiction

Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

Journey

Summer noon ...... First AC coach...... two guys in chat while typing their facebook updates on Indian corruption and politics..............

................

........

"It is ridiculous to have third class bogies connected to this train ".

 "It is quite common to have thorns beneath the roses".

"But still i love them" .

"Why ????".

"Their presence indeed accentuates my luxury and pride".

Profession - 55 Fiction

Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

Profession

They take your hard earned money, with all your consciousness, through different means and at different times.

You cannot avoid them.

They are everywhere.

They appeal you emotionally with their masks and behavior.

They exploit you for being empathetic.

This virtual robbery happens daily.

You feel very helpless.

They are not beggars, they are corporates.

Lief Lifes - GingerChai 55 Fixes

This post is published as an entry for the KING AND QUEEN OF 55F CONTEST – The first ever unique, challenge for the coveted title in micro fiction category. To catch the crowning moments and also be part of future editions and other contests, visit and register at Cafe GingerChai

Lie

Indira, never bothered about price tags, was flushing thousands of bucks in the city's most ostentatious mall...

What mattered her was the brands...

On her way to home, she had stopped by a maize corn cart, lowered her car's window, and asked the vendor, "How much?".

He replied, "5 rupees each, madam..."

"...3 for 10 rupees?", she bargained.

 ----()----

Alive

There are national and international policies and programs to protect endangered species like Tigers, panda etc...

Recent reports reveal that there is one more species which needs attention and focus...

Though every one knows the reason behind the fall in their count, no one hardly bothers about them...

Scientists have named the species as "Indiana-Farmer".

 ----()----

 Live

 She used to be very simple with emotional inclination towards societal well being and oneness ...

But, her affinity towards materialistic and consumerist life style forced her into prostitution...

She is so beautiful that customers hardly bother that she has got only one leg...

She is suffering from cancer...

She is not Indira, she is India.

------()------ 

PS : The  word "Indiana-Farmer" is not a typo and i have deliberately used it to represent the Latin nomenclature syndrome of researchers whenever they name something new :)

Goodbye

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 13; the thirteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Like a much delayed train entering 

an eagerly awaiting brightly lit railway station's platform,

Change should come in us with enthusiasm ,

but this time too, the platform is dark,

the bogies are filled, without hesitation, with

writers of old worlds on papers

politicians of old words in bags 

and bureaucrats of old ideas in brains

The common people are standing 

on the other sides of the tracks 

without tickets in empty hands 

but with plenty of agony on their foreheads 

This dirty system needs dry cleaning,

but someone has raised petrol prices 

Multiplication of minus and plus,

searching for a circle with 4 sides

and we call it development

The vested interests of self-serving elite is dubbed as ‘national'

I wanted to say Goodbye to my nation's Vision,

But someone has removed tomorrow morning's tracks

All the status messages immediately displayed "Train got delayed"

-----()-----

Who are you?

with bended waists and twisted tears

with ruffled hair and semi draped sarees

roaming and searching around these graves

Who are they?

In the graves and from where are they ?

In which battle did they die?

Which battalion and which number ?

Ask Krishna, if it is Kurukshetra,

Ask Mughals, if it is Panipat

Ask Uncle Sam, if it is Iraq

Crimean war, Korea war

First and Second world wars

Ask Bismark, ask Hitler

Ask Brahma, the creator.

Sigh !!! Please!!!

Dont look at me in that manner

with dried eyes and clenched teeth

Dont show me desert breasts 

which are void of tears

What can i answer you,

Whom can i say is responsible for ?

Its time for dark night...

Time for Tigers to  hunt their prey

Time for tender widows to jump into a damn well

Time for dogs to fight over bones of dead history

Some fear, yes, fear

around with foam of poison 

dead poison, deathly poison

agony poison, sad poison

it is flowing, gushing and overflowing 

O Mothers!!! Please go !

Why are you roaming around these graves

by bending and bending

with drabness and drabness

Dead bodies don't speak

Graves show you nothing

Death never recognizes

There is no mercy for nature, in nature

All power hearts pump blood, for blood

Suppressing your pain in yourselves 

Pricking your own eyes

Why to roam , in this way

in this way, among these blunt trees

these ant hills and collapsed houses

Go away! Go away !

Goodbye!

Go away !

-----()-----

Note:- 77 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of 77 words.

She took an auto from the red light area to the beach....
It was her day of 'freedom'...
She wanted to taste the moments of 'her' being a 'person'...
She was desperate to lose her 'identity' of being a sexual object...
She felt the ecstasy of being in a cage-less world ...
She wanted to explore the heights of her new life ...
That day was her birthday...
So, she bid Goodbye to her old life , only until tomorrow...

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Boundary - 55 Fiction

Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

Boundary

We are playing cricket in the outskirts of our village...

He is looking at us with apprehension ...

He is hesitating to come near to us...

Obviously, the societal customs are stopping him to join us in the game...

He knows very well about the drastic consequences  ...

Nope, he is not an untouchable ...

But we are ...

Mother - 55 Fiction

 Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

Mother

Saraswathi has been eagerly and anxiously awaiting for her mother from village, since yesterday...

Today will be the most significant and crucial day in her entire life...

She is quite tensed and nervous about the results...

But, much before her mother could reach her, she delivered a cute baby girl, at the young age of 13.

------()------

PS:  Saraswathi was married off by her family at age of 11, and was widowed at the age of 13. 

Facts:

1. 
   
   
   
   According to the United Nations, maternal mortality in India (which indicates the number of women dying in childbirth or from pregnant-related causes) is 25 times higher for girls under 15, and two times higher for 15-19-year-olds.
2.  Religion plays a key role in such harmful traditions and practices. Tradition and superstition are further reinforced by necessity
3.  Rural poverty similarly puts pressure on families to transfer the economic cost of a daughter to another family as early as possible.
4. Married girls are generally separated from their immediate families, taken out of school to be "transferred" to her new-husband home, where they are expected to be used as free labor, sex objects and procreative machines. The teenagers health is put at risk. They are much more vulnerable than mature women when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. 
5. Education and the empowerment of women are, beyond a doubt, two of the best remedies in a largely male-dominated country.
6. May 9 2010 is Mother's Day.

Planning-55 Fiction

 Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

 

Planning

Being eldest, after her father's death, Manjula took the responsibility of her mother, one brother and two sisters...

After years of rigorous attempts, Manjula finally got selected for the government teacher job...

The family is in celebrations...

Manjula has started saving money for future needs, not for her siblings education, but for her marriage dowry...

Malice - 77 Fiction

Note:- 77 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of 77 words.

Malice 

Ravi is one of the few boys who regularly attends the government school in the village for the sake of midday meals...

He is studying in third standard Telugu medium...

He works hard and topped in mid exams...

None of his classmates congratulated him...

No one plays with him ...

No one eats with him...

He is isolated in all the possible harsh ways for his uncommitted sin...

He is not an untouchable...

They just call him Bastard.

Purpose - 77 Fiction

Note:- 77 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of 77 words.

 Purpose

" Sir,  please have a look at our NGO's performance statistics in the last 5 years and it definitely deserves to get the 'Best NGO of the year' award ...... ", pleaded Satya.

" See, I have got better choices and options than your NGO. Please do not waste my time", said the Officer.

" Sir, all i can give you is five more lakhs ....."

"Hmmm ok ......  let me talk to the minister once. Anyway, your NGO works for ?....."

" It fights against corruption ..... "

PS : India is ranked 84 , by Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2009.

Newzealand ... 1

Denmark ...      2

 Singapore ...     3

China ...          79

 Pakistan ....   139

 Somalia ....    180

Savage - 55 Fiction

Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

 Savage

Sahib proclaimed, ".......butchering, removal of rubbish and waste, leather work, cleaning latrines and sewers, and Manual scavenging .......

Your shadows and footfalls are ritually impure, polluted and contagious .......

..... No entry to wells, schools and temples and stay out of the village....

Just don't touch us.... "

Meera murmured, "Sahib, was i not untouchable when you raped me?"

GREEN DEEDS

Happy New Year, 2010.

Hope, you had all the new year's flavours, aromas, wishes, entertainment, cultural activities, refreshment, fun and frolic etc. New Calendars? BTW, How did the parties and celebrations went off? Colourful/Exciting/Blast/Rockin? Were they Green too? 

Yeah, i mean it. How much we have been contributing to the ever incrementing global warming by these celebrations on various occasions, year long? We all of us know very well that, not only celebrations, every human deed results in the gradual extinction of many species, daily. Wait, I am not asking every one to become a saint and stop partying/celebrating. If we are responsible to the mounting Global Warming phenomenon, knowingly or unknowingly, by the usage of non-biodegradable things and burning fossil fuels through our daily activities , then isn't it our responsibility to compensate for the inevitable damage we are causing to the Environment in which WE live.

Any new resolutions in New Year?

How about having one more?

Shall we try "Green Deeds" ?

Yes. Green Deeds. You might have got the gist of this topic by now.

I strongly feel that the obvious failure of Copenhagen summit(Climate Change) necessitates to retrospect our role and responsibilities before passing the buck to other entities. I would like to propose an idea to deal with the number of carbon foot prints we are leaving behind whenever we succumb ourselves to consumerism .

As every  activity, from partying to blogging, results in a certain amount of  plastic waste or consuming any fuel/energy/power that causes global warming, we can make the activity as GREEN by planting a sapling to minimise the damage/impact, if not finding a solution. It is quite simple. You can choose, like, for how many activities/deeds you will plant a sapling. It can be one sapling per one activity or one sapling per 4 activities, depending on one's convenience. The choice is yours.  It is highly flexible .  We have to start somewhere, right?

Think once....

 

1. How about adding a plant along with the gift on any/every occasion?

2. How about planting a sapling/saplings as a memory to our recent trip?

3. How about having at least one Green weekend per month?

4. How about having 11 plantations whenever India wins a series or your favourite player performs?

5. How about saying a Green Sorry?

6. How about having a plant on every success in our life?

7. How about Green Festivals/Green Cinemas/Green Works/Green Jobs?

8. How about converting all get-togethers/Meetings/Parties/Trips/Journeys/Weekends/Holidays etc into "Green Visits"?

9. How about "Green Shopping" (one plant per 1000/10000  etc )? What say?

10. We may have Green Friends/Relationships too....

11.Finally, how about Green Blogs/posts. One plant per one post/5 posts/one Blogaton etc??

Similarly,

Green Studies...... 1 plant per one semester/academic year

Green Careers.....1 plant per appointment/bonus/onsite/promotion etc

Green Bike.....1 plant per 100/500/1000 km etc

Green Aims...... 1 plant for one Aim/Goal/Dream

Green Waste...... 1 plant per 1month/100 days/1 year etc

Green Books...... 1 plant per 1 book/10 books

Green LOVE....... You know it.

Green Homes.......Is your balcony empty? 

Green Gadgets.....1 plant per PC/Laptop/mobile, per year

Green Music.......1 plant per 100/200 albums etc

I hope the questions, like, Is your Job Green? Is your life Greener? Is this Green Party? Do you have Green Memories? Is your PC green Is your blog Green/Are you a Green Blogger?  ....etc will become part of our lives soon.

So Friends, what do you say? Will you join me and spread this flavour of "Greenism" ?

I am leaving few ideas for you. I would like to have suggestions from you, which i will add in this post, eventually, to make it more comprehensive and pragmatic.

 Any Green Thoughts ?

Lets, WE, together make this new year a......

Happy GREEN New Year :) 

PS: This post is a Green Post :) :) :)

Karma?-55 Fiction

Note:- 55 Fiction infers to fictional writings bounded to a maximum of fifty-five words.

 Karma?

She has got no other choice, besides her age is an added advantage for the involuntary profession she is into , since months. She is feeding herself by letting herself into the changing hands,  daily, on a contract basis. Her name never mattered as it keeps changing. She is a born child labour, hardly 3 months old.


PS: Child Begging in India is both a Scam and a Reality

Read more @ http://www.childlineindia.org.in

If I were a baby again.

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 4; the fourth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Searching. This word may remind us Google or a job search . But, for Karthik it differs, impacts, deviates and do matters a lot in many ways. In fact , searching is an essential part of his life, though he doesn't know the spelling yet. May be its a compulsive compulsion for him. Anyways, coming to his life, Karthik has got a best friend, and of course, only friend, namely Saketh. Both, Saketh and Karthik stay together, eat together, play together and sleep together, may be, because both live in the same orphanage, in the same room, by the grace of destiny. Karthik enjoys saketh's company a lot. Karthik feels himself in saketh's presence. He feels gifted and he always thanks god for having Saketh in his life.They have similar interests and passions. They both love cricket and grown up idolising Sachin. They encourage each other and love each other a lot. Incidentally, both share their birthdays on the same day, April 24. They cant imagine life without each other. Karthik loves Saketh more than himself. Coming to Saketh, most of the times he remains silent in deep thoughts which makes Karthik to raise the doubt, " What does Saketh think always???". This question keeps on haunting Karthik , and unknowingly , he feels insecure too. Many a times Karthik asked saketh . "What do u always think , Saketh?", but Saketh never answered and instead he still remained silent. Sometimes, Saketh's silence makes Karthik scared, irritated, annoyed and frustrated .

Gradually, Karthik is habituated to saketh's silence . But,Karthik use to convince himself by guessing what Saketh thinks always, by questions like ........  What makes Saketh to go into silent thinking? ....... Does Saketh miss the essence of his mother? .......... Does Saketh think how his mother looks like? .......... Does Saketh try to visualize his mother's looks, smile and attire? ......... Does Saketh miss those warm hugs, lovely kisses, love laps, tender spoon feeds, affectionate looks and caring pats. ? ............ Does Saketh try to imagine how cheerfully his birthday could have been celebrated if his mom is with him? ..... Does Saketh get the doubt whether his mom is alive or not? ....... Does Saketh miss those mischievous and childish acts which can be cherished only by his mom.?........ Does Saketh miss the fun and frolic of being with his mom, always? ......... Does Saketh try to question why his mom left him in a dustbin? .......... Does Saketh think that his mom left him because he is weak and having ugly looks? ......... Does Saketh think, like, "Will my mom ever come back"? .......... Does Saketh feel lonely though he is not alone ? .......... Does Saketh miss his father?.......... Does Saketh miss his brothers and sisters ? ......... Does Saketh miss the golden privilege and exclusiveness of being pampered by his mom? ......... Does Saketh miss those cute, sweet adjectives his mom could have used to describe him? ......... Does Saketh miss the pride feeling of his mom for having him as her son? .......... Does Saketh think whether his mom also feels the same way , somewhere in the world? ............ Does Saketh want to shout and cry for the treatment he gets from the so called civilized society? ............... Does Saketh want freedom from the pain of dejection and isolation? .............. Does Saketh really get these questions? and finally , does Saketh feel that i have too many questions to ask? ..... and so on.

Karthik, though he is much young for his age to analyse other's thoughts, gets these questions almost everyday, whenever he observes saketh's pensive silence. It is not a surprise because whatever the questions he has imagined and asked are actually his questions and his feelings about his mom, and not saketh's. He always lives with that anxiety and enthusiasm whether Saketh too gets such similar thoughts and questions, because Saketh is also an orphan like him .In fact, Karthik expects from saketh to ask him those questions . Karthik wants to share everything about his questions with Saketh. Karthik is very eager and desperate to get listened by his best friend, Saketh. Karthik feels that they both has got good rapport and understanding. Karthik wants to cry whole heartedly to relieve his emotional pain of missing his mom, by hugging his best friend. Though, they have similar wavelengths, frequencies, backgrounds and being best friends, Karthik feels helpless and frustrated, because he knows very well that though Saketh can listen , he wont respond to his feelings and emotions. Its not because Saketh is a silent boy, but, for the reason that Saketh cannot speak. In fact , he never spoke to Karthik till now , and forever he wont, because Saketh don't have life in him. To put it simple,  Saketh is just Karthik's childhood doll donated by some good hearted person on his 3rd birthday. Though he can speak whatever he wants to, with his doll , he feels more painful when he don't get responses from saketh when he is ventilating out his precious, valuable and deeply felt emotional outburst of his life. He is not blaming the doll, nor his mom and nor the society. But, his tiny, tender, little, young, blossoming heart cant bear such emotional volcano for more time. All he has got is compulsive patience and he can, and he will, wait for the right person who can really listen to get his feelings exactly in the right way. He don't have solutions, he has got Questions , more Questions and only Questions.  He is not talking about responsibilities , he wants empathetic natural stimulus. He don't have a choice right now.  Karthik needs compassion , not sympathy. I think being an orphan he is expecting more from this wicked society. This world needs him only to make movies like slumdog millionaire or writing some stories, articles and blogs ..... Sometimes I feel there are only good questions, no good answers. In fact, if he is given a chance to become a baby again, he just wants someone to listen to his Questions. Probably he may get more questions if someone starts listening.  Anyways, till then Karthik , along with his best friend Saketh, will be in his unavoidable, regular and compulsive process of compulsive Searching .....

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Kaaveri

 Kaaveri is a quite cute and delightfully pretty gal. She is 7 years old. She is good at studies and aims to become doctor in future. Today is very special for her. Yes, her birthday. She is awaiting for this particular day since months. Her parents have planned everything. She has been discussing with her friends about the way every second has to  be spent on this day. Her mother did wake her up with a warm hug, a sweet kiss and lovely greetings.  She got dressed up in a beautiful white skirt.

Kaaveri is looking like an angel. Her dad and her brother wished her in their own ways with lots of exclusive  gifts showering upon. Kaaveri do swims in the love ocean of her family, always.  She tasted her favourite sweet . She is more eager to be at school than at her home. Everything is  happening as she expected. The school bus came.  She took the chocolate box, kissed her mom and rushed towards the bus to catch the expected cheer ups from her friends. She is more interested in the celebration time at school, rather than at her home.

The journey to her school was filled with sensuous feelings, thoughts and expectations . She loves her school very much. Kaaveri becomes emotional regarding any aspect of school, be it teachers, play ground, uniform, shoes, books, home work, exams, friends, birthdays, marks, pats, smiles, fun, playing,  Meanwhile,  the bus reached the school. She entered the school premises with a sense of belongingness.She loves her friends a lot.

When she entered the classroom, everything did happen as per her expectations, as if it is scripted. She was bit blushing with the loving compliments and pleasantly surprised greetings. She did grab every inch of attention, may be because she is topper of the class too. She did feel the pinch of priority among her friends on that day.  She never felt her classroom so soothing and concerned about her. She distributed chocolates to everyone in the classroom and she did remember every greeting wished by her classmates. Her classroom means a lot to her, almost, a family.

She is waiting for the best moment of her day. Her wait ended as her favourite teacher 'Krishnaveni' madam entered the class. Kaaveri admires and reveres her teacher her a lot, more than god. She is madam's favourite student.  Kaaveri was approaching 'Krishnaveni' madam to give chocolates and to take  blessings from her. Exactly, when she was bowing to touch her madam's feet, Kaveri heard someone shouting at her in a  harsh and loud voice, "Kaaaaavereeeee, wake up, it is already 6...quick.....wash the utensils and clean the flour....Kaaavereee .....  today is Neha's birthday, make it fast". Kaaveri woke up in a hurry and felt disappointed with her favourite incomplete dream. She is habituated, she dreams it regularly, day and night. What else a child labour like Kaaveri can do other than dreaming. She even don't know that she is a child labour. She is too small and innocent to know about the legal Rights and constitutional stuff. She neither knows her birthday nor her parents.  All she knows is hungry, insecurity, fear, hard-work besides few hopes and sweet dreams.

I wish, Kaaveri will dream about someone coming forward to take the responsibility of making her childhood bit better, bit cheerful, bit colourful and bit meaningful. Thank God(Where is he? Enjoying his Script?), at least she has got the  liberty to dream...... Just look around. Many Kaaveris are desperately in need of us, the so called elite, educated, developing Indians.

Any Kaaveri at your home or at your friends/relatives homes???

We, together, can definitely contribute more, than writing and reading.

"Happy Birthday, Kaaveri"