Breaking News:
"Op to enhance buttocks kills ex-beauty queen
AGENCIES 2 December 2009, 01:18am IST"
"A woman who had everything lost her life to have a slightly firmer behind”
We are all crazy at times. Some of us crazier. Some of us due to pure lack of self confidence will resort to anything to make the body look better/perfect. How do we define perfection? While it is often said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, we still dont understand we are perfect the way we are. OR we do not want to believe that we can still be likable the way we are, with all its manifest imperfections. While society has a big role in 'defining' beauty, we tend to forget that society is nothing but us, the populace of the region. While Barbie looks are accepted in one socitey, its the long necks who are in demand in another one.
All of us are born as unique individuals. We are different the way we look, the way we think and the way we act. In my case, people keep telling me how fat I am.. And most people look at 'fat' in the cosmetic way and not from 'health concerns'. The society around me demands that i lose weight to be accepted as a normal human being? WTF! I live life the way I want to> I might go to the gym to lose weight - from a health perspective, not to please the society at large!
Its time we instill more confidence in our younger generation. Spare them the social pressurs and let them grow to become well rounded human beings.. Thats the best we can give them! Or else, we will keep reading
"For want of a buttock, the life was lost"
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
India Relaxes
I havent blogged during the weeken because its my weekend. Its the time of the week i get to relax. No calls, no plans to be sent, just idle at home with family.
but because i get to enjoy two days off in a week, is it right on my part to title this blog 'India Relaxes'? I dont think so. While i have been fortunate to spend quality time with my family, there are millions of Indians who have no concept of a weekend. They work 367 days of the year to earn atleast two square meals a day. Forget the 3-4 meals we are privileged to have.
When it comes to be counted as the typical Indian, we tend to forget the toiling masses. For you and me, the typical Indian is the affluent, well to do middle class folk. Which is the Indian view of India. A foreginer's view of India is the other extreme. The one where poverty reigns supreme. Yesterday, while driving in Bangalore i chanced upon a westerner taking pictures of a filled up garbage van and garbage dump. I wonder what kick he gets by taking such a picture? Afterall its a garbage dump. Maybe it doesnt look as good one of the fancy ones in the Developed worlds. So what??
Look at India from a holistic perspective. We live our lives here. And we are contented with what we have. Period. I do not want someone to click a picture of a garbage dump and tell his folks back home "This is India". Its high time folks get a life and leave behind their vision of India as a garbage dump / cattle country / rope trick nation etc etc.
The real India is a mix of rich and poor, a mix of educated and illiterate, a mix of hindus and muslims, a mix of all other relegions. You have an India that eats at the Taj and you have an India that goes to the roadside vendors. See India as it is and not the way you want to see it!
but because i get to enjoy two days off in a week, is it right on my part to title this blog 'India Relaxes'? I dont think so. While i have been fortunate to spend quality time with my family, there are millions of Indians who have no concept of a weekend. They work 367 days of the year to earn atleast two square meals a day. Forget the 3-4 meals we are privileged to have.
When it comes to be counted as the typical Indian, we tend to forget the toiling masses. For you and me, the typical Indian is the affluent, well to do middle class folk. Which is the Indian view of India. A foreginer's view of India is the other extreme. The one where poverty reigns supreme. Yesterday, while driving in Bangalore i chanced upon a westerner taking pictures of a filled up garbage van and garbage dump. I wonder what kick he gets by taking such a picture? Afterall its a garbage dump. Maybe it doesnt look as good one of the fancy ones in the Developed worlds. So what??
Look at India from a holistic perspective. We live our lives here. And we are contented with what we have. Period. I do not want someone to click a picture of a garbage dump and tell his folks back home "This is India". Its high time folks get a life and leave behind their vision of India as a garbage dump / cattle country / rope trick nation etc etc.
The real India is a mix of rich and poor, a mix of educated and illiterate, a mix of hindus and muslims, a mix of all other relegions. You have an India that eats at the Taj and you have an India that goes to the roadside vendors. See India as it is and not the way you want to see it!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Dubai - Illusion of an Oasis
What does news on Dubai have to do with India? A lot. The emirate of UAE lovingly called 'Gulf' by the Indian population is a place teeming with Indians. It wouldnt be an exageration if i were to say that 40% of the UAE population is made up of Indians. Kerala, a small state in India survives on the remittances from the UAE and other Gulf states. So much so that any economic depression that hits the region has a direct impact on Kerala's economy.
Dubai has from time immemorial been a trader friendly emirate. With its limited oil resources, Dubai very early understood that it would have to open its economy to bring in investments. Also, with a lazy arab population, the country needed hardworking Indian labourers to build the Dubai that is today.
Over the years, Dubai has become a hot destination for investors and companies alike. Being a monarch led country, Dubai Inc has always managed to keep dissidents and negative comments under control to a very large extent. The outside world only sees and hears the glamourous side of dubai, but never the difficulties faced by the common emigrant worker in Dubai.
Reckless, unplanned development with borrowed money has led to Dubai finally defaulting on debt repayments. While they might get over the debt trap in the short term, it looks very difficult for dubai to continue on this illusionary high growth tragectory .
I have worked in Dubai for 5 years and i know very well that the economy is on ventilator. Even a small leak in the supply would have a cascading effect on the economy and also destabilising a lot of regional economies.
I hope things dont go wrong really bad there for the millions of Indians toiling to build the shining oasis... and the families that are dependant on the income!!
Dubai has from time immemorial been a trader friendly emirate. With its limited oil resources, Dubai very early understood that it would have to open its economy to bring in investments. Also, with a lazy arab population, the country needed hardworking Indian labourers to build the Dubai that is today.
Over the years, Dubai has become a hot destination for investors and companies alike. Being a monarch led country, Dubai Inc has always managed to keep dissidents and negative comments under control to a very large extent. The outside world only sees and hears the glamourous side of dubai, but never the difficulties faced by the common emigrant worker in Dubai.
Reckless, unplanned development with borrowed money has led to Dubai finally defaulting on debt repayments. While they might get over the debt trap in the short term, it looks very difficult for dubai to continue on this illusionary high growth tragectory .
I have worked in Dubai for 5 years and i know very well that the economy is on ventilator. Even a small leak in the supply would have a cascading effect on the economy and also destabilising a lot of regional economies.
I hope things dont go wrong really bad there for the millions of Indians toiling to build the shining oasis... and the families that are dependant on the income!!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Remembering 26/11/08
Last year India got its own version of 7/11 in 26/11. The day the city of Mumbai was held to ransom by a group of terrorists who came across the border with evil intentions-kill, create an impact and make a loud statement. What anyone gained from this exercise which originated from Pakistan, no one knows!
While life goes on India, some families have been left scarred and wounded due to the terrorist attack. For these families, the loss will only be felt by them. For the rest of the world the deaths are just a statistic..
At times i tend to wonder .. Does a nation with diverse cultures, relegions and languages require a catastrophe to unite the people? Why does it necessarily have to be an attack on the nation for you to get up and take notice? I do not feel the same way when lives are lost to floods or any other natural calamity. Strange are the ways of us humans! This is something which not just applicable to India, but to all nations which have their own identities.
Today, India remembers the terrorist attack on Mumbai. Tomorrow, we get back to work. Next year, we wake up again.. In a few years time, 26/11 becomes yet another day consigned to the inner pages of the newspapers and casual mentions on the telly..well, isnt that life? After all tragedies, life must go on...
Hail the guys in uniform who gave up their life for the nation. Shame on us ordinary folks to look down on an ordinary policeman!
While life goes on India, some families have been left scarred and wounded due to the terrorist attack. For these families, the loss will only be felt by them. For the rest of the world the deaths are just a statistic..
At times i tend to wonder .. Does a nation with diverse cultures, relegions and languages require a catastrophe to unite the people? Why does it necessarily have to be an attack on the nation for you to get up and take notice? I do not feel the same way when lives are lost to floods or any other natural calamity. Strange are the ways of us humans! This is something which not just applicable to India, but to all nations which have their own identities.
Today, India remembers the terrorist attack on Mumbai. Tomorrow, we get back to work. Next year, we wake up again.. In a few years time, 26/11 becomes yet another day consigned to the inner pages of the newspapers and casual mentions on the telly..well, isnt that life? After all tragedies, life must go on...
Hail the guys in uniform who gave up their life for the nation. Shame on us ordinary folks to look down on an ordinary policeman!
About Day in India
This blog originates from Bangalore, India's very own Silicon Valley. The blog will try to post one interesting news item that either originates from India or has something to do with India. An ordinary Indian's perspective of living in India..
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