’How’ fair is fair?

A few days back I went to a shop to get some stuff and there I saw a couple of small girls who were not more than 6 years old. They started staring at me and one of them whispered into other’s ear, “dekh kitna chitta hai (see how fair he is)”. Suddenly it gave me a shock more than anything else. The obsession with fair color starts by the time we are born.

A kid who doesn’t even know what is right or wrong is injected with the idea that tells him ‘fair is beautiful’. Beauty never lies in color and had that been true, brains and personality, wit, humor and intellect would have become ‘archival’ words.

People in my office say I am smart not because of what I know or what I say but just because I am ‘fair’. We talk about racism, write about it and even hate it but it is we who actually promote it. See a matrimonial website, the first word they ask for is ‘fair’. And whether we do it deliberately or not, it definitely means ‘looking down’ at ‘not so fair’ color.

Let us first agree that we do believe in racism and then only, we can cure it. Charity begins at home and let ‘me’ start it right away by looking at you as ‘human’ and not ‘fair’ or ‘not fair’. Remember that I am a human being like you, born in the same way as you, live on the same earth; eat breath and drink exactly like you, and even I am going to die also like you.

I am one of you and you are one of me and we are one of ‘us’. This actually reminds me of a poem I read some time back:

When I was born I was BLACK,
When I'm sick I'm BLACK,
When I go in the sun I'm BLACK,
When I'm cold I'm BLACK,
When I die I'll be BLACK.

As for you

When you're born you're PINK,
When you're sick, you're GREEN,
When you go in the sun you turn RED,
When you're cold you turn BLUE,
And when you die you turn PURPLE.

And you still have the guts to call me colored.

According to Mamkol, “If we wake up one day and discover everybody has the same skin color, we will surely get some basis for discrimination by noontime.”

'Whose' tomatoes' were they anyways?

A middle aged man went to a vegetable shop and asked for one kilogram of tomatoes. As the man was putting tomatoes into the basket, he realized that a few of them were rotten and asked the vegetable seller to throw them out of the stock otherwise they will spoil the entire lot of tomatoes. The man bought his one kg of the best tomatoes and left. The rotten lot did not belong to him.

Then, the vegetable seller decided to separate the rotten tomatoes from the fresh lot and put them in a basket. After he was done with his work, he threw the basket of rotten tomatoes into the municipal dustbin. So, the rotten bunch didn't belong to him either.

After a while, a pitiable lady with torn clothes saw the basket and started searching for the 'not so rotten' tomatoes in the basket. For her, those tomatoes could prove to be a day's full meal. But as soon as she sat down to check the basket, a goat came running and put her head into the basket to eat the tomatoes. The lady tried to push the goat away but it was not that easy.

Now, we had a fight between a human and an animal for those rotten tomatoes, which any one of us would never even care to look at. The wrestle was on and there was no visible winner. I just stood there to see who is going to have the last say.

Suddenly a big truck came in and I realized it was the Municipality garbage truck that comes to clean the garage bins everyday. Without even looking at what was happening, the driver hooked the big dustbin, lifted it up and landed on his truck and left. Both the poor lady and the goat left the place in a normal manner and then I realized it could have been a usual story for them.

None of them got that lot of tomatoes and may be no one will. But I still think who actually deserved the tomatoes and I cannot find an answer. If you have one, do let me know?

According to Mamkol, “The easiest way to eradicate economic disparity between the people is to kill the poor.”

How Free Are We

Who says we are not free? It is just the way you look at your freedom and nothing more. Let us start and you see how much freedom one enjoys:

• You have the choice to buy anything in this country no matter where you belong to what if the inflation is above 12.5%
  
  
  
• You are free to protest on the streets for anything you strongly feel about what if the police and army fires bullets on you
  
  
  
• You are free to marry a girl or boy of any religion what if the community slaughters you after that
  
  
  
• You are free to vote and choose your representative what if the hotchpotch collation government makes no sense of it when the party with lowest seats comes in power
  
  
  
• You are free to boycott elections what if still only 5% voters decide the fate of your entire state and politicians form a government with all the pride
  
  
  
• You are free to apply for any course in any university in the country what if the reservations make your chances negligible
  
  
  
• You are free to write or speak anything what if your remarks label you as an ‘anti-national’ element
  
  
  
• You are free to fight against any injustice in the court of law what if the verdict takes decades to come
  
  
  
• Girls have equal freedom and opportunity like boys what if rape, SATI, molestation and dowry are still a part of their life
  
  
  
• You are free to guard your land what if hundreds are killed to make the authorities realize this fact
  
  
  
• You are free to watch anything on TV what if the government puts a ban on certain channels and programs
  
  
  
• You are free to live in any part of the country what if you are sure to die if communal and regional riots arise
  
  
  
• You are free to have a style statement what if the extremists beat you up for copying western world and defying cultural boundaries labeling you as ‘firnagis’
  
  
  
• You are free to take any professional sport including hockey what if only cricket comes with a good future bringing you money and publicity
  
  
  
• You are free to apply for passports, rations cards, voter ID cards and licenses what if you cannot get them until you shell out the bribe

• You are free to take up any government job in the country what if there are none available at this moment of time
  
  
  
• You are free to die of hunger or poverty or any other illness what if you cannot commit suicide as it is a crime

You are created as a free creature by GOD what if the humans have put all the limitations and restrictions on you

According to Mamkol, “Freedom indicates the liberation on doomsday”.

How "Hospitable" Are You

By Shaikh Tawheed Rehman

I always thought I have the potential of a good writer as my lengthy love letters always delivered good results just like Google. This thought of mine was further supported by my Master’s degree in Journalism but even after two years of the completion of my degree I haven’t written anything yet.

Yes, I cannot write but I stepped down. It’s not as though I can’t put words together and construct a good sentence, weave those sentences into paragraphs and come up with an eloquent written piece. It’s just that I cannot write objectively. Even if I try to, emotions always seem to creep in and take over the profession. So I just give up the idea of writing and keep myself happy in reading and learning.

What prompted me to write this time is out of frustration caused by my professional Gods – Newspapers. I was told during my degree that journalists should choose their words carefully as they never know who the reader might be. It took me two years to find one such word and unfortunately that one word appeared in a reputed newspaper of India, The Indian Express. The Editor in his editorial piece titled “The fires just don’t die down” dated August 13, 2008 available at their website http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEF20080813015151&Title=First+Editorial&rLink=0 describes the “100 acre” Kashmiri land as “inhospitable”. As it is quite evident that a piece of land cannot be inhospitable, the Editor means to say people in Kashmir are inhospitable. And I wonder how senior journalist approach to events and start generalizing things or events.

Conflict in Kashmir has its own context and there is no wrong in standing up and fighting for your rights. A lot of nations have done it. During India’s struggle for Independence from East India Company, people in India, regardless of their caste or religion, were united till the end unlike in Kashmir, where a community fled overnight.

Religion in this region has always been a root cause to all the problems. Majority of Muslims in Kashmir share their religious proximity with the neighboring country, Pakistan, and majority of Hindus with India. So, if Kashmirs are not comfortable with India there is no guarantee that Hindus in Jammu will find relative peace with Pakistan and this will continue. So the question of accession to Pakistan doesn’t exist anywhere.

By the way, we don’t want a partition of Jammu and Kashmir like India and Pakistan. A Kashmiri just wants freedom from such administration. We don’t want the administration to formulate heinous acts and implement them in Kashmir, we just don’t want our brothers being detained illegally and then tortured to death, we don’t want forced disappearances, we don’t want false media reports or tags, we don’t want being killed and tortured by our own Kashmiri police men, we don’t want any mothers tears, not any more…

We just want our freedom, our nation, and our rights. And if all this sums up to being “inhospitable”, we are proud for being so.

Options To Death – The Only Choice

I wake up in the morning to realize that all the essential food items in my home are over and there is not a single grain of food left to eat. My 2 year old son is asking for milk, my wife is silent because she knows about the things but my old mother is unaware and is shouting and asking for her morning tea.

I stand still like a rock not knowing what to do but I leave my home to see if I will be able to do something. Nothing is accessible outside and the money lies wasted in my pocket. The first step out of my house and I get a beating from the policeman standing just outside my home. Not a single word is uttered but the beating continues but I somehow manage to escape from there and reach the main road. All shops closed, a deserted look and the feeling of pain surround me. Before I can even get a good look of where I stand, an army man comes charging to me. He beats he with the back of his gun until I bleed and tells me to go back before he opens fire on me. But those words have no effect on me and I just laugh.

That laugh boils the temperature of the army men and they all start beating me in all the possible ways they can. They throw me from one corner of the road to another and all that comes to me is the face of my 2 year old son who is starving for food, my old mother who cannot survive without food and my helpless but silent wife.

They don’t allow me to say anything and push me back into the lane where the earlier policeman is waiting for his turn to try his beating skills which he showcases perfectly. And finally I am pushed back into my house. Seeing my face, my wife cries out loudly but my son is silent. I do not know what to do and I have nothing to do.

I take out my entire family in my car and move out of the house. Policemen try to stop me but I don’t, they fire but I cannot afford to stop. Bullets everywhere but I have no option. As I reach near the army banker, they shoot a grenade and next thing I hear is a big bang.

No more worries now, everything is silent. No need for milk, food or anything else. I can see my mother, my wife and my two year old kid resting for ever. They are no more and so am I.

But before I take the last breath, I just wanted to see their faces once again but I cannot because the next grenade stopped me from even doing that. We all had to die, either by every passing day or in one go – these were the only options left here. But still, I love my land and I am not ashamed of what I did – this was my only option.

This is my story and this is my Kashmir. Welcome one and all . . .

According to Mamkol, “Life always has a connotation, let us give death also a meaning”.

Kashmir Terminology

Of late there have been a lot of terms that have become quiet common in usage. But there meanings have been determined by the conditions prevailing in the valley. This is just an endeavor to uncover such terms.

Hartal: Lawful justification for not going to workplace

Protest: Shouting so loudly that your voice strike the walls of offices of concerned authorities

Identity Cards: Lifeline of a Kashmiri

Crackdown: Where you are down and your bones cracked

Blast: Minimizing the minority of Kashmiris

Road Map: Exactly a map but without signs and symbols

26^th January & 15^th August: Monstrous days

Cross Firing: Easiest way of suicide

Surrender: Get a gun, give it back and own a job

Round Table Conference: Where the center is ambiguity

Dialogue: One-way communication

Peace Process: Hypothetical concept

Cease Fire: Shoot limited number of bullets

Custodial Killings: Natural death

Search Operations: Employ five laborers for a week to get things again in place

Boycott: Cannot catch it, so we are not with it

Leader: Every 10^th person on the street

Government: Does it exist?

Election: In-house joke

Laws, Rules & Regulations: In books only

Tear Gas: It is always ‘in’

Stone Pelting: Oldest and most economic way

Lating Position: So that you don’t become Mr. late

Fidayeens: Omnipresent

Cordon: Surround everything else than the place you have to attack

Freedom: Whose & how

Press Conference: He got no one else to talk to / dying to speak

Media: Avenues of revenue

Human Rights Violations: Twice a day

Curfew: Prehistoric but relevant

Militant: Terrorist & Mujahid would be too extreme

Bunker: Next-door neighbor

Third Party: Optional party of Kashmiris

LOC: Out Of Control

According to Mamkol, “Do you know that terminology is not a word but a complete election – T(ERM END) + E(LECTION) + R(EGIONAL) M(EGER) + I(NC HEADS) + NO(LEFT) + LO(SP) + G(8Summit) + Y(ES TO IAEA) – next elections”.

Who Is A Kashmiri

Do you guys know how to identify a Kashmiri? This piece of writing will absolutely help you in actually knowing a few things about him. Without any more wastage of time and words, we begin;

Search To Get An ID Card

Wherever he goes, he always has an ID card with him. No matter what happens, he will never leave his home without it even if it is just crossing the road to the departmental store. A Kashmir has every now and then being asked to prove his identity by virtue of an ID card in his own land. And the best part is that his identity is confirmed by people who are not even a part of the Kashmiri nation.

First One To Help

Kashmiris have always been fearless, brave and courageous. If you see a crisis like a blast, or an accident or may be some serious thing happening, a Kashmiri will be the first to go out and help people. He doesn’t care about himself and all he can see is his duty to lend a hand out. That makes a Kashmiri very special.

Keeps A Distance

If you see a guy keeping an arm’s distance from any security personnel, be sure that he is a Kashmiri. Security forces have left deep impressions on the minds of Kashmiris and are associated with frisking, beating, bullets and what not. It is like the bad guy in your school whom you were always scared of even if you saw him on a street somewhere. But still, you see Kashmiris smiling at them, really admiring.

Sensitive Breed

A Kashmiri can do anything when it comes to emotions. They are ready to live and die for others. A Kashmiri is a very sensitive type of species who gets driven away by emotions and feelings. Even thought after 20 years of conflict, the hearts have remained the same – as innocent and hospitable as always. This tells you the character of a Kashmiri.

Response To A ‘Bang’

What will you do if you hear a bang? Different reactions come out but a Kashmiri will have certain fixed reaction to it:

• A current will run through his body and he would feel goose bumps
• He will attempt to locate where the ‘Bang’ came from
• Next, he will try to locate the place to run to
• Third and last, he will either really run or laugh at himself

But, people don’t blame him. Bang always meant blasts in Kashmir and they have seen enough of them. Unsurprisingly a Kashmiri cannot relate anything else to a “Bang’.

Toughest One

There won’t be a single family which has not been affected by conflict, but a Kashmiri still have not forgot to laugh. He always laughs and makes others laugh too. You would never know what he is inside because he never makes you even think about it. A Kashmiri is a very strong character who knows how to move on with life. He learns the best and worst lessons in life before he actually comprehends what life is.

Die Without Rice

A Kashmiri can fight and conquer any difficulty except not having rice. You may make him eat varieties of food ranging from Chinese to Italian or Mughlai to Mexican but if he does not have rice, his meal is not complete. He will really die without rice, which is all he wants at the end of the day.

I truly salute the character of a Kashmiri for all he has gone through and the way he has emerged out of it. I am proud to be a Kashmiri

According to Mamkol, “Kashmiri actually sees hopes midst intolerance, racism & indifference ”.

Kashmiris – Fighting For Their Land As Always

Kashmir is considered as a place filled with news and it seems to be ‘the place’ for all the breaking news. Bloodshed, deaths, bombs, shoot outs, Human Rights Violations, Search Operations and bandhs seem to be the normal Kashmir story that is given coverage on newspapers.

But, it is not all about the conflict this time. I have a narrator who will make you go through the ‘new real’ Kashmir problem. It is none other than the ‘800 kanals of forestland’ allotted at Sonamarg to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board by the Government.

And it says:

“I stand here since ages and I have witnessed the demarcation lines put by the strongest creature of this earth (man) to separate me from other pieces of land. They named them and claimed to be theirs. I just laugh at their superiority. These days, I fall under Sonamarg in Kashmir. I do not know where future will take me.

I have been really lucky to fall into this beautiful paradise of Kashmir where nature seems at its best. I have trees to cover me, winds bowing all around and still far from the emerging deforestation and pollution problems. I could not have asked for a better place that this.

I am as free as a breeze without any boundaries set on me. All are welcome to my land and no one here is treated an alien. I love when children play over me, tourists come and enjoy nature and locals give me a sense of belonging to them.

But now, I hear that Government has decided to allot me to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. And I can see what it means for me - Barbered wires, pollution all over me, restricted entry and belonging to a particular sect only. I feel myself no different from Kashmir. And this is also a very major issue than it actually appears on the surface.

It seems to be a beginning of a ‘plotted’ plan to make Kashmir belong to everyone but not to a Kashmiri. I can foresee very small small pieces of land being allotted to different boards and organizations. Then, Government will move to the major areas and I will not be surprised if I see a Kashmiri being restricted to move freely even in its own state.

What will be your reactions if I ask Delhi Government to allot only 80 kanals of area to Kashmir Hajj Committee? It certainly will be termed as ‘conspiracy’ and ‘plan’ on the part of Kashmiris. Then, I don’t think it will be wrong to term it the ‘same’ when it comes to this case. You cannot change the implication of the terminology; they remain the same whether it is Delhi or Kashmir.

In all this, there is something that gives me great contentment. I can see all Kashmiris together responding to this issue in a correct way. No bandh call was given by any political, extremist or modernistic party but still I see deserted streets with agitations and protests all over. People have come out on their own to fight this problem. The minds have started evolving, things are not taken for granted anymore and the issue seems dealt on an intellect front.

The conscience of a common Kashmir seems awakening and it can only lead to the good of Kashmir. I would not have been luckier than belonging to such a place where people know what all it takes to stand in the toughest of times.

I won’t be surprised if I am the raison d'être to make this nation awake from its lull sleep. It just needs a trigger moment to unite a nation and I hope I am the one. I always believed that Kashmiris are courageous and intellectual and they have proven this from time to time. Be prepared Kashmiris, all hopes are on you and there is a long way to go.”

According to Mamkol, “Extraordinarily I don’t see any slumber in your eyes, relax only after you succeed”.

Matrimonial Merry Making

Below are the real answers send for different profile in a matrimonial website. They are amazing and interesting too. Do take out some time to have a look:

Simply Simple
My living style is very simple. Also I am very simple. I want to marry a simple girl look beautiful, loving and smart but truthful.

Very Cool And Soft
I am a soft spoken guy. My favorite words are love, fun, honesty, respect and kindness. I am searching for a life time partner who can walk with me till my last breath. I googled also but did not find, you can be that one.

Freely Free
I am very free in nature, looking a free person who touch my heart and also mixing freely in nature to my family members.

Who Is He
I am a boy. My hobby is singing and likes to eat mango. I am a banker like my father and mother very much. I love every people for any critical case.

Beliefs Blessing
I am very much belief with my blessing present. Very typical traditionally and peculiar livings I need that kind of girl who can belief well.

Only Christian Left
Only Christian boy believes in Christ. I have born and bought in Christian moral values. Looking for a partner who believes in Christian and no more required.

Modesty International
I am NRI earn lakhs every month in dollars. Not much to say as I am nothing without my money and all I can talk about is my little crore worth properly in dollars again.

The Perfect Guy
I'm person nature and fun loving guy helpful, understand and respectable like to some one who is enjoy to life nice nature respectable. Color is to be fair in mind.

Deadly Dude
I like gangster movies of foreign. I like to visit new place and shoot in there with my expensive made in USA lens. You have to interest in that is a must.

Sermon For You
Marry me as I believe all this - God makes a match and He brings two together. Finding the right partner is possibly the most difficult decision that one makes. God will provide the one he has in stored for us just like he did for Isaac. The marriage for sure goes well if the man & wife live in Jesus cause he is the greatest binding.

Precisely Precise
I am bit emotional and want fair girl with 23 ages, waist only 28, and weight 50 only. Degree in Diploma coking and designing. Should know French fries cooking and pizza. Rest all not important.

Best For You
Want a best girl who will keep best relation of best friend too as marriage is a believes between best relation people. I want the best give the best.

Master Of All
Very simple men like every women and every place and traveling. Need just wife, ready to go to their house staying or paying his father money.

Honestly Deadly
I am looking for cool intelligent girls who understand me. I promise that I will not threat him for any matter.

In A Hurry
I am very much strong in my attitude. I likes to those persons who better humanity. Mission is my great motto and tell you later . . .

According to Mamkol, “So distressed for marriage, they have not read about the original sin.”

One Very Incredible Incident

Life is filled with so many incidents that always remain with you. Today, I am going to tell you one of the most amazing incidents of my college life. It really gave me a tough time but I enjoyed a lot too.

This incident happened is actually a result of different incidents that occurred to me during my three years in college.

First year in College
As I had recently joined the college, there were butterflies in my stomach. It was a good feeling but a little scary too. I made a number of friends and all of them were senior to me. I started enjoying their company, having tea together, silly jokes, smoking and what not. Canteen, as always, used to be our hanging place.

One day we were sitting in the canteen cracking jokes and smoking. But suddenly we realized that we had no cigarettes left. Canteen guy was not allowed to keep cigarettes and we had to move out of campus to get it, which seemed quite tough in the heat.

There was a man, around 35, sitting in the canteen with long hair, a little beard, and camera hanging around his neck. He had a new packet of cigarettes which he had just opened and was quite visible to all of us. Being the cool dude, I approached him and asked for a cigarette. He started giving me lectures about behaving with elders, manners and bla bla bla . . .

He left the canteen in anger and even threatened to complaint to the authorities but we thought, “Who cares” and we never did.

Second Year in College
It had been almost one and a half year in college for me. Except my lecturers, I was known to all the peons, clerks, canteen owner, and security guards. I went to the canteen and was having tea when I suddenly got the sight of that long haired man I had seen a year ago. He had gone a little bald this time.

Being mischievous, I though of pulling his leg. I again approached him and the first thing he said, “Don’t you think you are shameless, I hope you have come over to apologize”. It boiled my blood and I replied, “Not at all, I just wanted to tell you that you are the worst smoker I have seen. You don’t care about fellow smokers. So, I think you better be sorry”.

The argument continued but he was really patient and left very calmly. Other guys asked me who he was and I said, “I had to settle scores with him, must be the college photographer. Always has a camera hanging around his neck”.

Third Year in College
This was the time when I got screwed up. I had philosophy in my graduation time. As a rule, when you are in your final year, the Head Of the Department (HOD) of philosophy gives you lectures. I liked that subject as it gave me the best of freedom to express. I was all excited to see the HOD.

The moment I entered the classroom, my eyes popped out, earth seemed moving, there was nothing but darkness and I could hardly take a breath. That long haired man was my HOD and I didn’t know how to react. He threw me out the class and said, “You won’t be allowed to enter in this class and so, with zero attendance you cannot sit in the exams. That is the right way to deal with kids like you”.

I turned into a statue and the coming days were tougher. I tried my level best but he didn’t allow me to even enter his class. He even issued a blacklist of candidates who were short of attendance and I topped the list. So, it was made very clear that I cannot appear in the exam.

But then, God helps those who help others. I made the peon to remove that list from the board, talked to the clerk and admission in charge officer about my state of affairs the. I had spent some good time and money on them and it finally paid. Thanks to those 1400 rupees, I appeared in the coming exam.

After results
After the results were out, I went to his office. I gifted him a box of sweets, a cigarette packed and a matchbox as a goodwill gesture. Even though he didn’t responded the same way and didn’t accept anything, no hard feelings dude. It made him worse than ever before. I hope he understands this world quickly.

The best part about that entire incident is that I still don’t know his name. But I did learn a few things from this incident.

According to Mamkol, “Always carry extra cigarettes with you, don’t fiddle with long haired bald going strangers and never attend you HOD’s class”.

The Amusing English

Every passing day, we discover more and more about the need of ‘English’ as a very vital means of communicating. It is undoubtedly the Global language at this era, in India at least. But, what happens when English language is used in a very confusing manner that makes you think, laugh, cry and sympathize with the people who have written it. I have certain experiences to share with you:

Sale and Service available
Usually refers to the technological stuff, gadgets, cars and other such things. But, it was written on a shop that sells fishes. Sale is ok but what about servicing. I thought there would be surgeons but could locate only handful of sales people who didn’t even knew how to speak ‘English’. God really needs to bless them and I wonder if they have spare parts for the fishes also. I should have asked them, better luck next time.

24 hours open
You will say ‘normal’ but listen. It was not written on a billboard but shutter of a closed medical shop. Now, how much is it normal dude?

Addidas, Nike, Rebook, Puma – You have it all
I know you will say that these are brands but wait a minute. It was written on a single t-shirt and the shirt was manufactured by a company called ‘S-Mark’. What a combination guys, all brands under one roof. By the way, how many of you know about this merger. I still am trying to locate it on Google.

Made from only clean and fresh hydrogen and oxygen
Guess before you move on reading about it. It was for mineral water bottle which I got on Delhi-Jammu highway. Creative minds over exhaust themselves and the result is visible.

Well built, no history and in good health condition
This was in a matrimonial newspaper. Don’t laugh guys; I have tried to interpret what he meant to say. He needed a 6 feet tall girl with no boyfriend since she was born and in the best of health. He actually referred to ‘Eve’. Only she didn’t have a boyfriend before marriage and was the only lady who did not suffer from even a single disease. Somebody tell him that he is born too late.

All female treatments available – come with your wife and forget
A roadside quack had this written on his tent shop. I hope he really didn’t mean what he had written otherwise most of the husbands would have done that till now. Women are the toughest to handle, I bet he does not know what the meaning of what is written on his shop.

For rent – sorry to bachelors, no lady keeps home clean
I am still trying to get the gist of it. Why is he sorry to bachelors and why does he feel that no lady can keep home clean? We need a philosopher to crack this out, anybody out there.

According to Mamkol, “Have you heard about that famous line – ass you lick it”.

Do not realize after losing – It Has No Worth

Only eight years old, Armaan was in fact different from all other children of his age. He had seen more of the world than any one of them. His parents were not living together and the divorce case was still hanging in the court. His dream of getting a younger brother was vanished when his mama went for an abortion because it was getting difficult for her to live with his dad. Being a single mother, she considered it unfeasible to carry the burden of two children.

Armaan had a set schedule of staying with his mom and dad on alternate days. Even though both lived on the same street, just two minutes away, Armaan would never ever even think of going to mom when he was at dad’s place or vice versa. He never wanted to be the reason between his parents to argue over.

But Armaan was special. Although too young, he was happy with what he had. He never complained and always presented a happy picture of his family. He was always optimistic that things will get better and he would pray every night for his ‘perfect family’ that he always desire.

Then, something happened which no one ever imagined will occur. Armaan suddenly felt ill in school and was rushed to the hospital. He felt unconscious in the classroom and fainted. By the time his parents arrived, he was back to his senses. It was exactly after six months that his parents were together at one place and he was happy to see that, even though not in the manner he prayed for. The smile on Armaan’s face was saying it all, he was felling better than ever before.

In the coming few days, Armaan remained hospitalized and his parents were there for him. He felt happier in being sick and prayed to God to keep him always sick so that he can get care and love from both the parents. He went through a series of tests and examinations during this time.

At the time of discharging him form the hospital, Armaan’s parents went to the doctor’s room. The doctor looked stunned, puzzled and confused. He felt out of words while talking to Armaan’s parents. He just uttered, “Your son has a tumor and he has only one month left to be with you. I know won’t accept it but this is the truth. Give him all the happiness he deserves”.

Armaan’s parents didn’t know what to do or how to react, they felt speechless and shocked. All they could think is of their son, who was unaware of what all was going to happen. The parents tried to consult doctors all over the globe but of no use. They knew that the time is running and they cannot do anything. Finally, they decide to give him the best time he is worthy of.

His parents told him that they are going to be together now and they will live happily as before. Armaan was surprised but felt relieved that God has finally answered his prayers. His parents also told him to ask for anything he wishes as a gift from them.

Armaan wrote his three wishes in three different envelopes and numbered them. But there was a condition, till one wish is not completed, no one will open the second envelope. Armaan’s parents opened the first envelope which said, “I want you to promise me that we will live as a perfect family”. And his ‘perfect family’ always included his parents, him and his one younger brother. His parents had no other option but to accept. But Armaan told them he will evaluate their actions in the coming days and then decide whether they really kept this promise or not.

His parents tried their level best to make sure that they live like before and even succeeded. Two weeks went by and Armaan felt contented and he started to believe that he has got the foundation for his perfect family. One day he called his parents and said, “I am happy that you guys kept the promise and now, we can open the second envelope.”

His parents had only tears in their eyes and they knew that the most awful is coming and the little Armaan is ignorant about it. It hurt them more and every day was a doomsday for them. The second envelope read, “I want you to take me to Nanital for 10 days vacation”. This was the place where they had gone when his mama was expecting. He always missed that time as he was expecting his younger brother to arrive.

So, they went all the way to Nanital. He relived all the moments again and made sure that he doesn’t miss a single second of it. He felt happy like never before. Although the time was running but Armaan’s parents had no choice but to see their son going away. They couldn’t even cry. The night they were going back, Armaan felt ill and was rushed to the hospital.

Armaan’s condition was getting worse and he was airlifted to the city for treatment. But nothing seemed to help at all. After struggling a week in hospital, Armaan finally bid adieu to this filthy world. The loss was intolerable but had to be lived with. Things seemed darker with every passing moment. Tears kept rolling and there was no end to agony.

After burying Armaan, his parents came back to the house where they found the envelope marked ‘3’. This envelope had Armaan’s last wish written on it. They opened the envelope and it read, “I know that I prayed to God to keep me unwell so that mom and dad can come and see me together but I want to get well now. I have got the ‘perfect family’ I always wanted and no more asking from my side God. Only one request – Please let me live, I do not want to die. I know I am going to leave this world but Please God please ….. Hey mom and dad, tell God no, it is the last wish I promise”.

Armaan left but got his parents together but we don’t want to lose Armaan to understand relations and take them the correct way. Look at yourself and answer; do you really want Armaan to die to get the sense of realization?

According to Mamkol, “Pain has no principle, but do your principles stop you from giving pain”.

Upgrading Proverbs

Since childhood we have heard very famous proverbs and sayings. But they seem to have become outdated now; need modifications to fit in the contemporary era.

With all respect for these sayings, this is just an effort to make things clearer and up to date for the future generations to comprehend the meanings efficiently.

If wishes were horses’ beggars would ride – Horses have become obsolete now, replace them with a car, except Nano which is again affordable. The other option can be substituting horses by roads and beggars by people. Now read it, ‘If wishes were roads, people would drive’. This is ideal, because we really don’t have space on roads to drive.

Every dog has its day – God damn it, whose has been the night till now. We cannot do much with dogs, cannot change their name here - Animal Rights Violation. There is an addition which is required, about bitches. It is an era of equality and we have to keep these things in mind. So, it can be ‘Every dog has its day and every bitch has its life’. See, I am talking about Women Empowerment.

Practice makes a man perfect – By the way, which perfectionist wrote it? There is nothing in this globe which is perfect except GOD and I bet HE hasn’t written it. We need to be more practical in our lives and admit the realities. Make it, “practice and then dream of being perfect”. See, I don’t give you hopes of being perfect but the liberation to dream about it.

Talk of the devil and he is sure to appear – It needs alteration, considering the amount of effect a ‘devil’ has on the generations. Simply change it to, ‘Talk of Devil or not, he is sure to emerge’ because he is omnipresent. High rates of misdeed, violence, cruelty and greediness are the best examples to justify this amendment.

The more you have, the more you want - It is absolutely not the manner things are happening at the moment. Whatever you have or whatsoever you get, you always want more and more. It is an acquisitive, selfish, voracious globe where no one is contented; people demand more and become nomadic in their thoughts. Change it to, ‘Whatever you have, you want more’. Let us be in agreement with how we act.

Money is the root of all evils – I don’t see this is possible. Money on its own cannot be blamed for the evils; it is the humans that should be liable. Give money to any animal (other than human), he would not be able to do anything with it. For them, these are meager pieces of paper. Because we cannot remove humans from this globe, change the proverb to “Humans are the root of all evils”.

According to Mamkol, “Where there is a will, there has to be money”.

Taglines - Do they really tag

A tagline is an alternative of a branding slogan characteristically used in promotion materials. A tagline creates an impressive phrase to summarize the nature and idea of a brand, or to emphasize the audience's memory of a product.

I have come across some very famous taglines but they take my imagination to altogether different heights, to everything but not that brand.

Don't leave home without it – Credit Card
This tagline definitely reminds me of my identity card. Each and every person in every nook and corner of the Kashmir valley does hold an identity card. Since turmoil, it is seen as a ‘must thing’ for everyone, especially while moving out of your residence.

Reach out and touch someone – Telecom Company
How on earth can a guy of my age imagine this tagline is for a telecom company? It looks more of some adult stuff than anything else. Kind of night out parties . . .

If it feels good then just do it – Shoes
This definitely appears like one of the fundamental rights or a clause in the constitution that gives you absolute liberty. I wonder if it was true, how this world would look like.

God's own country – A state in India
So, we finally know where God lived. I just have one question in mind; if this is God’s own country, to whom do the others belong. Hopefully not Satan, but this seems rather obvious.

Where a man belongs – Cigarette Company
Do they really know where we belong to? If yes, they must be selling plots and tickets to that place. But, I guess they refer to the hospitals and graveyards, kind of advance booking for the men. Seeing the future . . .

The happiest place on earth – Disneyland
Whenever I see this, I remember my mom’s lap, which undoubtedly is the happiest place on this earth. I wish to be lucky to be there always, but if wishes were horses beggars would ride. And even we also don’t have horse tracks here. . .

Whatever happens, feel good – Radio Station
This reminds me of the feel good factor. Absolutely perfect line for a common man, no matter how high the prices are, no matter how many problems and issues you face, just feel good. That is precisely how we are brought up, actually nobody cares.

Making Twice the Noise – Newspaper Organization
The moment I saw this, it reminded me of the loud speaker phones that I had got in my childhood. They really made twice the noise than the ordinary ones. Even though I paid Mr. Nazir Ahmad Dar (the shopkeeper) little money (for not letting anyone know that the device was transported illegally) but then also, it was worth the amount.

According to Mamkol, “You can’t eat just one; you paid for the whole packet”.

Wait: Do not blog people, I have the reasons

Blogging is a creative art which involves ‘you’ and nothing but ‘you’. You don’t just write but express yourself and also learn the ways how people communicate. It broadens your scope of understanding things and accepting them.

But there are a good number of populaces which disagrees and consider blogging of no use. For such people, I present the reasons for ‘not to blog’

Don’t ever express

People love to be suppressed and have no will to convey liberally. They are brought up to remain confined in their thoughts, creativity and understanding of the world. They love to be like that and don’t believe in changing themselves for the good. They take pride in calling them ‘conservatives’.

I had a friend in my school days and everyone used to beat him, including me (seriously for no reasons). But he would always say, “You don’t know me and the day you do, you will realize what a big mistake you have done”. He never said who he was and we never realized our mistake. I still wait for him to say what he wanted. This is simply what I call by ‘do not express’.

No to ‘exposure’

Such people do not have the desire for exposure, they stick to what they know and don’t want to open up to any new ideas. They consider that they know enough and that ‘enough’ is more than sufficient. Again, I have a tale to tell about this.

One of my second cousins felt that he was a master of all. He would never listen to us and believed he knew everything. One day, he came to our place and I showed him my video game. I wanted to tell him about this new gadget but he said that he knew everything about it. My mischievous brother asked him, “Do you know that this game works on petrol and mixture of water in a proportion”. My cousin’s immediate answer was, “Yes, I know that it needs power to run the game which petrol supplies and water cools it down to make sure it does not heat up”. We couldn’t stop laughing. Alas! We never heard anything since that day from the poor chap.

People don’t need power, knowledge or growth

The majority of the populace does not, at all, believe in requiring any sort of power, knowledge or growth. There are many categories here – ones who feel that they know enough to sustain in this world splendidly, a few who don’t know what they should know, others who are unaware of their boundaries of knowledge and the rest who know nothing at all. If you belong to any one of these types, do not blog at all. Genuinely, you are doing the right thing.

One more story so that you don’t get bored. We had a general store nearby whose owner was an old 65 year old Rahim Kaka. He was a gentleman with abuses forever on his lips, sober with always a stick in his hand and very tidy to bath after every 10 days. TV’s were common in the valley and Rahim Kaka was asked by some person as to why he didn’t have one. People suggested him that he can learn better ways of living through it. He replied, “It won’t teach me how to make more profits, will you motherfuckers will pay me more for the vegetables if I get one. You fuckers just want me to go in debt and then, I can sell my vegetables for less”.

All I say is that ignorance is bliss. God rest Rahim Kaka’s soul in peace.

People don’t want to share anything

People who hate sharing things cannot blog at all. They believe in the principle that one thing shared means all things shared (this ‘all’ for them includes everything, I hope you understood). They are like those people kept in a cell in complete darkness for years and hate light because they never saw it. They feel that by sharing things their knowledge decreases, I truly pity them but no sympathies.

I had a batch mate in college who was too good in English. We all knew that but he would never teach us anything. He always felt that he might get a good competition even if he shares one percent of his knowledge, inferiority complex. Our first paper always used to be English. I begged him in the exam to tell me a couple of answers but he disagreed out rightly. I couldn’t do anything and left those questions like that. Every dog has a day and it was his. Then, mine came.

We appeared for an entrance exam and luckily the guy was sitting next to me. We needed to cross 75 points to qualify for the second test and that guy only knew 62 exactly. We were the only two guys left in the hall and last few seconds were left. I helped him out with 12 till he reached 74 and then said bye to him. It must have hurt, but ought to pursue what you preach.

People never change

Although change is unavoidable, these people defy the rules. They don’t want to change even if it is for the better. They are stubborn with locked minds, rigid ideas and very conventional in their point of view. It also includes people who blog but for the sake of it, the most dangerous ones.

I have a not so close friend who blogs regularly but for the heck of it. He is the same he was when he started blogging He has not been able to make use of it in an appropriate way. He is very much orthodox in his ideas; his acceptance level is ‘zero’ with no respect for the different points of opinion. I met his ‘learning curve’ yesterday and she complained of being starved for years.

A blog is not just a means of writing your point of view but also accepting the ‘other’ views. This can help you broader your scope of acknowledging and comprehending things effortlessly.

According to Mamkol, “Blog and block have only a difference of two alphabets, make sure it really counts”

Incorrect Understanding Of Words Is Injurious To Health

There are instances in our lives when a very common incident can look extraordinary. It usually happens when we take the literal meaning of words. People who are working, or who have worked or want to work, all need a job. The first step for that is getting a call from a recruiter which is the first step of your working career. And 98% of the recruiters are girls; I must say girls girls everywhere

Have you ever really gone by the words recruiters use, I bet never. Let me take you to the conversation of a candidate who attends the recruiters call for the first time in his life. It is hilarious and reader discretion is required, may have some mature stuff. So, guys here we go:

Recruiter: Good Morning Sir. Is it the right time to talk to you?
Aspirant: Sure, why not?

This is the instance when he feels blessed that a girl wants to talk to him. He always ran after so many to chat with them but without any fortune. He apprehends that completing degree can also change fate. Now, he is on the top of the world.

Recruiter: Sir, we have an opening.
Aspirant: Great, even I am looking for one.

The guy in on cloud 9, he never expected a girl would be so fast to come directly to the main point. He cannot believe this and now, he is more certain.

Recruiter: It is an immediate requirement.
Aspirant: Oh, I can see that.

He feels the girl is really desperate and it is finally his day. Now, he starts imagining and he cannot prevent that.

Recruiter: Can you please brush me through your experience?
Aspirant: Well, errrrrr…………. I am a fresher.

The aspirant doesn’t desire to take any risk. He wants it make it absolutely sure that he doesn’t lie. He does not want the girl to anticipate something from him which he is not capable of. He has learnt to be true, no matter what occurs.

Recruiter: No problem sir, we have opening for freshers only. Can you tell me how immediately you can join, I mean the notice period.
Aspirant: Within a week, no such issues.

The guy wants a week to prepare himself for the important event. He has believed in doing his homework always and he cannot just be blindfolded with his principles.

Recruiter: Can you come down for a personal interview.
Aspirant: Anytime you call me, I am free.

The guy gets conscious now, he realizes that he has to prove himself to make this happen. He is a little anxious and worried currently.

Recruiter: Ok sir, what is the package that you demand. Remember that we can negotiate on that.
Aspirant: What do you mean by that, I think I don’t fit in your category?

The guy is hurt; he feels he has been treated like a plaything. He never thought of people paying for this, he considers of himself as a slave. He is fuming and incensed.

Recruiter: Perfectly fine sir, can you refer some of your friends.
Aspirant: What the hell do you think; I don’t know anyone and you must know it.

The guy cannot see his friends taking this chance. He would rather die than let his friends go for it. He is adamant and says, “If not me, then no one.”

Recruiter: Thank you Sir, It was nice talking to you. Have a great day
Aspirant: Bye (with a loud anguish tone)

He felt hurt that night and blamed it all on the changing society that leads girls and guys to behave like this.

But now, after a few years he laughs at himself and doesn’t miss the opportunity to share it with everyone he knows. I must say ‘guts’ man.

According to Mamkol, “Explain what you imply by right, I might amply it as write”.

The Delightful Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management (KM) is a method that, constantly and analytically, transmits knowledge from individuals and teams, who create them, to the brain of the organization for the benefit of the entire organization. It is the orderly, clear, and purposeful construction, renewal, and appliance of knowledge to take full advantage of an enterprise's knowledge-related efficiency and returns from its knowledge assets.

Let us understand this with the help of an example:

There was an engineer who had an extraordinary gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he contentedly retired.

Several years later his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many issues with the same machine in the past. The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day he marked a small x in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, "This is where your problem is". The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.

The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his service. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:

One chalk mark: $1
Knowing where to put it: $49,999

It was paid in full and the engineer retired in peace.

Had every troubleshooting been documented, such a story would have never occurred. This is the occasion when KM becomes more than just handy.

KM includes a variety of applications used by organizations to classify, create, represent, and dispense knowledge. Many large companies have resources dedicated to Knowledge Management, often as a part of 'Information Technology' or 'Human Resource Management' departments. Knowledge Management is a multi-billion dollar world wide market.

Knowledge Management programs are characteristically attached to organizational objectives such as enhanced performance, competitive benefit, innovation, developmental processes, lessons learnt transfer (for example between projects) and the general expansion of collaborative practices.

Benefits from KM to a company

Some benefits of KM link directly to bottom-line savings while others are more complicated. In today's information-driven economy, companies expose the most prospects and eventually gain the most value from intellectual rather than physical assets. To get the most value from a company's intellectual assets, KM practitioners maintain that knowledge must be shared and serve as the basis for collaboration.

Without an overarching business context, KM is worthless at best and harmful at worst. Accordingly, an effective KM program should help a company do one or more of the following:

• Promote innovation by encouraging the free flow of ideas
• Improve client service by reorganization response time
• Enhance revenues by taking products and services to market faster
• Increase employee retention rates by recognizing the value of employees' knowledge and rewarding them for it
• Streamline operations and reduce costs by eliminating redundant or unnecessary processes

A KM project can most probably be successful if it concentrates on an actual business target or specific spot, like improving teamwork in order to bring a product to market faster than the opposition.

According to Mamkol, “Share everything you have gone through, it can help you and your people to avoid doing the similar mistakes.”

Very General Knowledge Quiz

All the answers are based on responses from the people in age group of 17-23 from major metropolitan cities in India. Believe me, the answers revealed some amazing stories.

Question 1: Who is India's Vice President (M Hamid Ansari)?

Answer: We got all the answers except the right one. Some went close to Pratiba Patil and A P J Adbul Kalam. Even a few infantile guys asked if India really has a Vice President. They presumed that it was a joke and I am someone from MTV doing a ‘BAKRA’ show. The ‘BAKRA’ is more famous than our Vice President, cheers India.

Question 2: Name one player from Indian Hockey team that won eight gold Olympic medals (we all know Dhyan Chand at least).

Answer: Half of them believe it was KPS Gill, 20% don’t know whether hockey really won Olympic gold, 15% went with some freedom fighter and the rest had shocking names like Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt.

There was one ‘intellectual look’ type guy who said it was a revolt from India against British’s game of cricket. Well thought mate, but we needed this during freedom struggle I presume. Born in wrong era!

Question 3: What is the national flower of India (lotus)?

Answer: As our youth is quite romantic, they unanimously went with the rose. But, the discrepancy was the color. Some felt it must be white rose as it portrays peace, other with red as love and the rest with yellow rose (I wonder what yellow denotes).

There was a couple who argued over the question although both of them replied as ‘rose’ only. The girl felt that it was lotus and had been changed because it is the symbol of BJP but the guy was adamant that it was always rose. All I can say is “what a rouse”.

Question 4: What do you know about ‘nuclear deal’?

Answer: Different responses ranging from awful to sickening ones. Few youngsters feel that it is a deal that allows India to set up a nuclear plant and make weapons. Other went with the view that it allows India to bomb Pakistan anytime and the some felt it was a plot by US to establish a base in India. A little better this time.

But, listen to some more answers. A dude said it was a huge loan to be taken from US for making nuclear weapons as India has no money and that is why it has become an issue. He even suggested taking the loan from UK as the British have already lived in India and they know how to deal with us. Nice suggestion, I hope the authorities are listening.

Another juvenile termed it as ‘Pakistan’s Policy’. She believed that the Pakistan wants to enter India through US as Pakistan is already a member of nuclear deal. The sweetheart related it with terrorism, bloodshed and what not. Really concerned about the nation, you better read some GK books and then answer.

This was the best one among the whole lot. This blonde guy named it ‘invention of the century’. He explained that to me very clearly. Here are his words, “It is the use of nucleus of cells to make anything. By signing this, even we will have the power to make produce anything in this world, weapons, clones and what not. The only issue is that people don’t understand it”. Shut your ears guys, he is the most horrible one I found.

Question 5: What made India reach news headlines in 2007?

Answer: The answers were quite different from the young guns. Some went with cricket, some with beauty pageant, a few with bollywood and a good lot with growing fashion industry. And there was a handful lot who believed poverty, Kashmir conflict and nuclear deal making it famous.

But, we had a gentleman (a graduate from Bihar) who had an altogether different opinion. He firmly believed that it was Rakhi Sawant’s reality shows and the little guy ‘Prince’ who fell in a deep hole made India famous in 2007.

One more, beauty without brains, lady considered India’s heritage, culture and the smell of soil as the reason. I was not able to understand what that means but still I am putting it here, may be you guys can make out something.

Nevertheless, there were a few questions whose answers were given appropriately. Some of them are:

• Who went out of Roadies (MTV) in third week and who all voted against the person?
• Who are Deepika Pudkone and Saif Ali Khan dating these days?
• What are social utility websites?
• When and where did wardrobe malfunctioning happened last time?
• What are the eight teams participating in IPL twenty twenty?
• Who are Naomi Campbell and Leonardo Dicaprio?
• What is the latest trend in fashion and bollywood?

So, my people you know this Orkut, MTV, V and Facebook yo-yo generation knows nothing more than a fragment. Wake up guys, Ye Hai Hindustan Meri Jaan

According to Mamkol, “India’s young generation is a burger-pizza sandwich stuffed with rajma dal. You know where the reality lies”.

Grown Up For What

Yesterday I had a dream in which I spoke to my childhood. We had a good long dialogue about almost the whole lot happening in life. He dominated the chat all the way around and I was helpless because whatever he said was nothing but the truth.

It reminded me of the childhood years when I had all the freedom in this world, to do anything and everything but now I am a man surrounded by the boundaries of responsibilities, relations, aims, desires and expectations.

As a child, my mind was blank, naive and free from the distinctions of right and wrong. I used to do what I though and it was all out of purity. Times have changed now and I have developed as a mature person driven by materialistic desires which seem never-ending. I consider a lot prior to doing anything and that is why I hardly do a bit.

My childhood takes me back to the days when I needed a mom’s lap and dad’s shouting to sense that I belong to some one who exercise their right over me. That was a regular schedule for me. But nowadays, I have grown into a gentleman who needs nobody to live. I can manage things on my own. I used to hate my people asking me if I had food or if I was in good health but now, I don’t need anyone because there is no one close to me.

I remember that one day all the cousins went out for a lunch with our families. All of us ordered for chicken noodles. Only me and my brother got half plate noodles as we were too young too eat a full plate. I was furious and had I got money that time, I would have ordered one complete plate for each of us. I felt terrible and upset and promised to myself that the day I have money I will do that. I prayed to GOD to send me loads of money and HE did that but after some time

So, now I have money but my brother is not here. Even we hardly get enough time together. Both of us are busy in our lives, making our future (I wonder what future is that). How foolish was it to ask GOD for money that time. Had I asked for more time being a child with my people, I would not have regretted like today.

I always wanted to grow to possess big brains, bigger money with biggest of the responsibilities but now, I realize how brainless I was. No matter how stronger a figure I show, I still want my people to live with, I am all alone inside.

Childhood days were worriless; I scarcely had concern for something and lived in my own world. But now, I am out of it and existing in the authentic filthy world. I have to be bothered about every little I do and see if does not affect anything unconstructively.

Whenever I miss those days, it always brings tears to my dry eyes. Nowadays, I don’t fight with my brother for clothes, cassettes, food, cold drinks or TV anymore. We do not shout at each other nor complain to mom and dad. We do not get a good thrashing from our parents for different reasons. We cannot play the games we used to because we have grown up, not anymore kids. Everything has changed and so are we. But, this is not at all what I always wanted.

I am myself to blame for this because I always wanted to grow up. Now, I am grown up to be left wandering for something which I myself don’t know.

According to Mamkol, “Children are innocent and that is why they want to grow up”.

Jab I Met Mr. Hockey

I had a privilege to meet a very well-known personality few days back. It was none other than India’s national game Mr. Hockey. Here is how our remarkable conversation went.

Me: Hello Sir, I guess I have seen you somewhere before.
Mr. Hockey: Definitely, must be in Shahrukh Khan’s ‘Chak De’. People have started recognizing me after that only.

Me: It is really glad to meet the national game of the country.
Mr. Hockey: Great that you stroked a chord, I actually do not remember that at all.

Me: Tell me something about yourself.
Mr. Hockey: Past perfect, future tense. Presently, I am in the waiting list of endangered sports in India. But still, you can see me at a number of places like grounds, streets, on newspapers, in the news. I am absent but not deceased; you can call it ‘dying’.

Me: What do you believe are the reasons for it?
Mr. Hockey: The huge amount of love, enthusiasm and money (capital majorly) that other games, especially Cricket, acquire have sidelined me. I also have a federation but for namesake; nothing is done for the endorsement, promotion or encouragement of the sport. It is a miserable circumstance that the game that has won eight gold Olympic medals (unbeaten from 1928 to 1956) for India has not been able to even qualify the tournament this time.

Me: Why do you sense that your popularity is vanishing?
Mr. Hockey: You need a high-quality infrastructure, capital, promotion and a guaranteed future for the players to survive in any game. The whole lot is absent in my case. It is good to see people taking cricket as a career but hockey still remains as a hobby. The entire blame is on the authorities. Even the people who are attracted in hockey are being discouraged, which makes other people also go away from it. Hockey has brought pride to India more than cricket and had legends too but it is unfortunate that everything has been forgotten.

Me: Where do you see yourself going?
Mr. Hockey: Undoubtedly to history books. I am soon going to be a ‘saga’ for the country for which I was a national game once upon a time. To be embedded in writings only.

Me: Any suggestions from your side.
Mr. Hockey: A lot of them. Make Cricket the national game, stop making fun of me by using my name as a national game. Implement a ban on playing hockey at national level; let it be confined to towns and cities only. No need to waste the ‘little’ money also you spend on the game. It can be utilized in a better way for other games. Observe 9 March (On 9 March 2008 India lost 2-0 to Britain at Santiago, Chile and got eliminated from the Beijing Olympics) as National Hockey Day to mourn the historic game and pay your tribute to the primitive game.

Me: I am privileged to have met you.
Mr. Hockey: Same here. We might not meet ever again but do pray for the soul. I should take a leave now; have to shoot a scene for an upcoming bollywood flick in Australia. That is where my future lies.

According to Mamkol, “Nation does not remember the national game, let us again blame cricket as always”.

Gentleman’s Game is Dying but not Cricket

India is a cricket crazy nation where this game is not less than a religion. When India plays, the entire nation watches with the hope of them winning every time. The minds, emotional, feelings and expectations are intensely related with this game of Cricket. The love, passion is immense and so is the game.

But still there are things that surprise us. Take for example, the ongoing Test Series between India and South Africa. The cable one gets has about 90 odd channels with 5 sports channels but still, we are unable to watch the match live. The telecast comes on a new channel which the cable providers do not subscribe for. And the only reason is that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) got the highest bid from that channel and they didn’t care whether people will have access to it or not. BCCI is the richest cricket club in India but wants to get richer.

That makes one realize that cricket has turn out to be a money game and nothing else. No one cares about the sport, not a gentleman’s game anymore. Nothing is done to promote the game.

Take the case of football. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has out rightly rejected England’s proposal of hosting a world cup, because they do not want rich to be richer. FIFA does not believe in getting more money but it is the game that matters. Alas! Cricket does not follow this rule.

Cricket also has a governing body known as The International Cricket Council (ICC) but just for the sake of it. The body makes rules, amends them, bends them and at times, forgets them. One wonders why we have such a helpless governing institute.

There are only ten full member of the ICC: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

There are 27 associate members of the ICC: Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Denmark, Fiji, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy Kenya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nigeria, The Netherlands, Nepal, Papua, New Guinea, Scotland, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States of America and Zambia.

It clearly shows that out of 245 countries (recognized 193 and others) in the world, around 37 only play cricket while as 200 plus countries play football. Cricket might be getting bigger and admired but in the 37 countries only and not growing to additional countries. The ICC does not seem bothered about it. One can still get enormous quantity of money by caring about the game first and not the other way around. The realization, as always said, has gone astray here as well.

Every new add-on comes with pros and cons and so is 20:20 but the right way is to use it in favor of the game. The 20:20 cricket has made a huge difference to the game, though in both the good and the bad ways. It makes the game shorter in terms of time; more crowds friendly and therefore, popular. But with invasion of big cricket leagues (money wise only) like Indian Cricket League (ICL) and Indian Premier League (IPL), the picture gets worse. Money plays, money rules and the money wins.

Very soon, the players will leave their countries and play for the clubs only for money. I wonder what will happen to cricket then. This time is going to arrive sooner than you think.

According to Mamkol, “Cricket is a gentleman’s sport but organized by un-gentle people as a technique of moneymaking”.

Quoted Fabricated Journalism – Still Invisible

One of the nastiest opponent of media in fabricated journalism. But here, by fabrication one does mean fabricating events, stories, or even quotes. It is an unusual kind of fabrication which is not even noticeable. In simple words, it means quoting people who are known to you without actually sweating it out to recognize what the common concerned masses think.

I memorize reading features of a very juvenile journalist in a reputed national daily appearing on Sunday’s. Every time I would see his article quoting one individual over and over again and the photograph present will have a lady posing always. NO matter what the theme of the article is, the two entities will be omnipresent. When enquired, I came to know the person quoted was the journalist’s best friend and the photographed lady his ‘girlfriend’. You can minimally say that it is a customary thing but isn’t this constructed.

This is a very usual incident in today’s journalism and the reasons knowingly unknown. Either our journalist sees the profession with utmost comfort and believes in taking it the same manner. He does not want to put in sweat to get his work completed, favors an easy way out. He considers himself the boss and the best judge.

Another possible reason can be the ignorance dynamic. The journalist feels that he can quote anyone and everyone and it is not critical to be mindful of something like this. He has a permanent batch of populace whom he quotes every now and then. For him, this is standard reporting and he has boundless grounds to guard it.

Few months back, I read an article about introduction of 20:20 in cricket. To my surprise, I was not able to spot a single quote from a cricket player (either present or ex) of any level. All talked about was the sixes, the fours and the short time duration. The journalist seemed to be in a rush to finish the work to meet the deadline at the expense of killing the sense of the article.

A very important thing to remember is ‘whom’ to quote. You cannot ask a vegetable vendor about sensex or about changing faces of media. Although, everyone here is an expert and can talk about anything but this is not the journalism we know. The journalist needs to identify the people among the common masses to be quoted. Ask people about the things that concern them and not just anything. The day one realizes that, this fabrication will die right away.

With growing media competition, we have a single person reporting and editing the article, the sole soul to do it. When the instance of playing multi tasking role occurs, such mistakes happen. Things are taken for granted and the journalist loses the sight of being an editor also. The person is always in a hurry to finish his job and it pays also but in the incorrect way.

We are living in an era where anybody can develop into a journalist overnight. The person can meet deadlines, get facts and write any piece for you. But it takes courage, passion, hunger, determination, and the willingness to take responsibility.

According to Mamkol, “Next time you w-right an article, memorize the definition of a gener-a-list”.

Kashmir And Newspapers: An Unending Tie

We all have witnessed newspaper stands encumbered with papers (daily, weekly, monthly), tabloids and magazines. Did you ever thought about that stand? It has such a big quantity of publications loaded on it that the stand himself doesn’t know the exact figure. But, do not blame him either because can anyone of you recollect the precise tally; forget about the names, of all the newspapers you notice on the stands.

Every other day, we have a brand new newspaper being launched and yet again, it announces to be the finest. It asserts to be unusual and carrying the ‘voice of the masses’. I, from time to time, wonder if we have so many channels to speak, why are the “voices” unheard? Have you even tried to imagine what it means to own a newspaper? Not really, because it might mean nothing to you. But, do the people who hold such positions really know what it means.

Print media in valley still enjoys a much higher position than the electronic counterpart. Besides our press enclave, considered to be the hub of media, every nook and corner of the city has a newspaper office. Still, I have not been able to recognize the motive of some people behind running a newspaper. There is a very interesting incident that occurred to me when I was a student like I am right now although the age and weight have augmented.

Once I went to a marriage celebration and having lately joined Mass Communication course, I was introduced to a person who was an editor of newspaper whose name I had never heard. He talked to me a lot about journalism, of which I knew nothing, and the fascination and passion for it. I got more than a couple of chances to meet the gentleman over the coming few weeks. He finally invited me to his office one day. It was a two room cozy office and the paper was being sent for printing. He asked me if I wanted a copy or two of his newspaper and I said yes. He called someone and said, “Aaz chapayzev 2 copies extra, ye bache chu na aatum, amis ti havo as kya chi chapavan, magar paper chun zaya karun” (Print two copies extra, this kid also wants to see what we publish but make sure you don’t waste any piece of paper).

In one second, all the admiration for the fellow died and I am still in the process of thinking if that was the journalism he was talking about. An editor prints an exact number of copies for the near and dear ones and limits the use of our newspaper just as a means of money making.

In a conflict region like Kashmir, news sells like hot cakes. It is the best place for any individual to work in any type of media. But, that necessarily doesn’t mean that you forget the basic duties of owning a paper and keep on striving hard to earn the personal benefits. It makes people to begin questioning the authenticity of media. You should be opinion makers, the people to bring revolution, change minds and do what is best for the community. But, as again I said, our media people also seem to be a lost crowd.

There is another fear that is quite dreadful, about the ignorant journalist. People who just take a pen, a paper, a camera, hang an ID card around their neck and become journalists. They can be devastating to the society. For them, sensationalism is the ‘best’ news and creativity, morals, ethics, principles and rules are ‘mere’ words in the English dictionary. These journalists do not seem to think whether they need to know anything at all or not before writing even a word.

One remembers the name of only a handful of journalists whose stories we wait to read, who speak through their writings and who know what they write. Answer a simple question, name ten journalists from different newspapers in one minute? If you get this answer, you will realize what do I mean by ignorant journalists?

Everyone can be a journalist but not all. It requires passion, the extraordinary role to play in the society, becoming a voice of unheard and down trodden, the hunger for truth and the love for doing this. There is a threat lies that lies in blurring the line between journalism and public relations. When such a thing happens, a journalist denies his or her liability to implement a personal verdict of what is important by substituting for it the judgment of others. A possible reaction of the profession must lie in determination on editorial independence as a supporter of journalistic honesty. It takes plenty to be a journalist.

Each and every one upcoming editor has a particular line to say, “We will hit the stands soon”. I imagine what will happen to that stand you all are going to hit. That stand is already occupied by so many publications to take the weight. It is not a big thing to hit the stands but to survive there and get recognized. I anticipate that the future editors will consent with it.

With all the respect for the people who have been running newspapers and doing justice to it, this article is just an attempt to discover the ugliest side of operating a newspaper. Media is not just about money, it means a lot more than that.

According to Mamkol, “Read a news-paper$ before publishing one, you might find out more than a few thing$”.

Car Market In India – More Lucrative Than Ever

The scope for marketing cars in India has been flourishing at a prompt pace. The rising GDP rate, per capita income, economic independence and high ownership ability has made way to the sudden increase in the Indian Car Market. As India gets more and more economic liberty, the need for comforts becomes a priority and that is where, a car comes as a ‘precedence'. In India, about 1.4 million four-wheelers were sold in the 2006-2007 only.

Cars, once considered to be a style statement or status symbol have acquired the position of ‘needs’ of a common man. India has a majority of middle class population where owning a car was a dream. But, with cost effective small cars like Maruti and now, Tata Nano with a mere price of 1 lakh rupess, the market for cars becomes vast.

It is not only the small cars but the image of style statement still remains in India that has a fine market for luxury cars where the growth rate is 28%.

Another field to look at is the passenger car market with a growing rate of 18.3%. All over the country, one can see passenger cars running either intra-city or intercity or even inter-state, and the requirement for such vehicles grows with industrialization and better infrastructure. Companies like Tata, Suzuki, Hyundai, Bajaj and others are already in the race to explore this not so familiar market.

With increasingly new cars coming up on the prospect, the scope for used cars (second hand cars) cannot be neglected. Large numbers of cars are being sold out every day and you have buyers for them. This market is not fresh, but unrevealed. The scale for earnings is, therefore, highest.

India has a majority of young populace with growing income stages, an under discovered rural market, and an economy running at 9% plus increase rates. A major reason for this growing market is the easy availability of the cars. By availability, it means the access to cars and the ways to acquire it. Banks and other finance companies offer car loans to people at a considerable rate of interest and without much hassle. This is evident from the fact that 80% of the cars sold in India last year were financed by banks and other financial corporations.

In the last few years, only General Motor, Fiat, Honda, Nissan, and Hyundai have announced Indian venture valued at roughly $1.5 billion. India is considered as the most captivating promising market opening in Asia.

According to the consultancy Keystone - a subsidiary of LaSalle Consulting Associates, India has been predicted to become the world's third biggest automobile market by 2030, after China and the US. A very important aspect of this future success lies in the coordination between the car industry and government which seems to be going well until now. Take for example, like the duties on small cars were cut down from 24% to 16% and the government is willing to spread out the markets.

It is a right time for investments in Car Market to garner the maximum benefits. Start now before the occasion gets too far from you.

According to Mamkol, “I must own a car to $urvive, it is ONe of my ba-sick needs”.

Veto plastic for your future, otherwise it may never arrive

I went into a shop recently and saw a beautiful jute bag which had a tagline written on it saying, “Ban Plastic, especially smiles”. Felt good to see that people are really getting conscious about the hazard of plastics. You know plastic bags are prepared from petrochemicals which are not a renewable resource. When littered or inappropriately disposed of, they are horrid and can be a danger to wildlife. Most plastic bags do not readily decompose when littered nor in a sealed sanitary landfill.

That single line really made me reflect a lot and I finally planned of buying the bag. As I was making the payment, the guy in the counter handed over that jute bag to me in a ‘plastic carrier’. An unusual feeling came on to me and I left the place. That guy might not have even realized what he had done because he does not care and even I say that no one cares. Plastic seems to have become a very important part of our lives, you can’t even think of a world devoid of plastic.

Plastic bags can even cause unsupervised infants to suffocate. About 15 children die each year when plastic bags accidently cover their faces, leading to suffocation. About 80% of the deaths reported to the Consumer Products Safety Commission from 1990 – 1997 were of children under one year old where ash, garbage, and dry cleaning bags were most often involved.

The guy who comes to my place in the morning to pick up the garbage doesn’t like garbage being given to him in the bin. His preference is that we put the stuff in plastic bags which makes him feel comfortable to do the job. Even I agree that we cannot do without it but can’t we limit the use.

The worst danger comes from the plastic grocery bags. Many of these grocery plastic bags are reused as book and lunch bags as kids head off to school, as trash can liners, and so on. But like candy wrappers, chewing gum, cigarette butts, and thousands of other pieces of junk, millions of the plastic bags end up as litter. Once in the environment, it takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. As they decompose, tiny toxic bits seep into soils, lakes, rivers, and the oceans.

According to United States Environmental Protection Agency in 2001, somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.

Many governments have prepared laws to ban the use of plastic bags like The Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag and Garbage Act, 2000 but the implementation has to come in the actual sense, not just simply on paper.

The dangers are too many to think about. As always, the charity begins at home, let us promise to ourselves to limit the use of plastic for a healthier future.

According to Mamkol, “Blast and Plast-ic have a lot in common, they just kill, only the effect is immediate or gradual”.