Why don't we want Sania Mirza to be happy!?

I got a SMS this morning from a friend (?), a hate message about Sania Mirza getting married to Shoaib Malik. That friend is a decent guy on the onset, he talks formally and lovingly to every one, he really cares for his friend, and a good friend overall. But the message got me disturbed, it has attacked Sania and Shoaib in very indecent language and it has asked me to forward the message to all the Indians! Why? If I hate the sentiments expressed in the message then as per the holy book of Indianness I am not a true Indian? I like Sania, her game, her beauty, and the way she makes our India proud. But why she is attacked by these moral police-boons? They critiqued her because she wears skirts while playing, in fact if skirts are indecent then dhotis are equally indecent! Why hate fellow Indians and then conceal the hatred under the tricolour of India? Why we hate Sania Mirza, one reason is definitely because she is a Muslim. And hating Muslim is one of the commandments of being an Indian, I guess. We swore by the sahishnuta of the greater religion of India- the Hindu. But I think the other religions, called as minority, have more sahishnuta than these Hindus; rather they have no other choice to live in India. I know that there is instability in every religion, and we can’t single out a religion for propagating hatred towards others. But let’s not mix religion with nationality; India is not a Hindu nation, as far as I know. Hindu fundamentalist can’t form definitions of ‘True Indians’. If they want to, then obviously I don’t fit the bill and I have no other choice than hating (again) these Indians.

We Indians carry this application form when we move on streets, when we have chance at making friends, when we are asked to support a cause, when we support our cricket team (or for that matter the IPL team). The application forms has columns for name, the full name, actually most importantly your last name, the place of your birth and upbringing, your religion, your cast, creed and so on. When I meet anyone for the first time I have to fill this form and have to ‘apply’ for their friendship or acquaintance.

And I answer those questions. “Name?” “Tejas” “NAME?” “Oh...Tejas Joshi” “ohh Brahmin, which subcaste?” “Does it matter? OK, koknastha” “hmm bloody koknastha, huh? Gotra?” “I don’t know” “What do you mean you don’t know” I shrug. “Ok Where is you from?” “Nashik” “OK so you are Marathi, a Raj Thackeray supporter, huh?” OR “Ok so do you know this guy, I’m sorry but all the Nashik-kar I came across are like this and that” “Well, I’m not” and so on, (though the order of question changes and few questions are added or omitted based on the kindness of the person) at the end of it they make a decision based on their presumptions, but me? I’m still confused; I don’t know whether he is a friend! I’m such a non-Indian, I guess, what a pity?

Why? Why I should carry my identity card with me always, why can’t I communicate in a natural way, like the dogs do, (well they also do piss and sniff!)

Well, I think there is something wrong with the Indian-ness. It’s still a vague concept for us. May be because we didn’t earn the Independence of India, and by ‘we’ I don’t mean our generation, I really mean WE, THE INDIANS. Before the British captured India slowly using their skills and technique, we didn’t have the sense of nationality, we were either living under Maratha regime, nizaamshahi, aadilshahi and others, right from the Mauryas and other dynasties. We had an idea of regionalism, and had ambitions of expanding our regime, we were extremely brave too, but we were not Indians. British captured and ruled this region called Indian subcontinent of Asia, and governed it for 150 years or so. Slowly we got restless living under the raj, we were against the slavery, and wanted our land back, and now as the land was expanded from now Pakistan to now Bangladesh, our krantikaris fought against the British Raj in capturing back this piece of land, now was being called India. British didn’t have captured India, but we got India from them. Wow! Our krantikaris were really genuine and brave guys I don’t doubt them but nationalism or Indian nationalism is a modern and alien concept for us. We are still regionalist people at heart; we still divide based on caste. Creed, religion and region, that’s the problem I guess, I think if British wouldn’t have came we would be a bunch of small countries like Europe or Africa or like the countries those were part of U.S.S.R. but now not the part of Russia.

And while getting the independence for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh we had to suffer from the bad partition, which might have fuelled the hatred against Indian Muslims, and Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs.

We did earn Independence by our sweat and blood. But the masses need someone to follow after. In the independence war not every slave of British Raj wanted independence at his heart, but they believed their leaders and a huge (I think the biggest) movement of Independence arose. We believed in Bhagatsingh, we believed in Chandrashekhar Azaad, we believed Savarkar, we believed in Mangal Pandey (no no we didn’t believe him!) well but we believed our modern leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, and Pt. Jawahrlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel. And now we are getting a new breed of leaders that are again posing to stand against the big bad governance of India, and these leaders are Shriram Sene, Bajrang Dal, Shivsena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and VHP etc. Not all but a major chunk of our society believes in them. I know because this morning I got a SMS. We still hate Indian Muslims more than Pakistanis. I know many literate and cultured people who just hate Muslims from the end of their neurons just because they are Muslims. One of my colleague actually said that he knows a guy who’s really warm hearted and very kind person but he hated him because he has married to his own sister, and believes that all the Muslims are like that. Strange. Scientist has found that all the mankind has evolved from seven mothers; our mankind can be traced back to seven women. And to reach to today’s population of over 600 crores we can’t state, that no cultured society hasn’t cross bred in their own family. In fact in the prehistorian era cross breeding in the family had to be a normal thing to expand and strengthen their group.

Well ironically I got another SMS from the same friend again praising Sai Baba, and again the message asked me to forward the message to all true Sai devotees, and the people who love Sai Baba!(fortunately I don’t love any baba other than my baba(father)!) As far as I know Sai Baba is praised and loved equally by Hindus and Muslims. (Well this message was also carried a hidden discrimination towards non-Sai devotees.)

Well as far as I am concerned, my definition of being Indian is getting happy with the genuine happiness of fellow humans/Indians. And I’m happy that Sania and shoaib are happy together, I guess. (Though I’m sad that heartthrob of our generation is getting married!)

Well if you come across any such message, think and answer them with your true sentiments, do not forward answers. We can do this much in respect of the free mobile technology we got!

The rain, the city and the love

I was standing at my house’s window, and I saw a couple walking down the street. They didn’t know that I can see them, as this boy was trying to woo his girlfriend by saying, “There’s no one on the road, not ahead us and not behind…” The girl was just refusing bluntly. The boy is so desperate, he continues, “Just give me a kiss!”

It’s raining continuously since last 4-5 days; rain does create a romantic mahaul around! I uttered “sick!”

The city, that is Mumbai (am I being so stylish!?), was slowed down or stopped in parts. I am home for last two days, first day was my weekly-off, and yesterday was off because of rain. Have you ever walked in waist deep water with your clothes on? Well yesterday I tried that…trying to fit in the typical picture showing a bechaara Mumbaikar. In fact, an oily fat boy was recording me in his fat cell camera standing under his colourful fat umbrella, with a fat oily glee, fatass! Like, I’m a flood victim. I just wanted to have that experience on which the whole Mumbai has a veiled pride. The human always love to be in misery…the world is treating me bad, Misery. And Mumbaikars are more into this being miserable thing. They want to show their fighting spirit under the veil of misery.

I am in Mumbai for last 3 months (soon turning to FOUR!!), and I never liked Mumbai for even a moment. Yeah, I love to see the human society and their behaviours, but this city is so plastic, and ‘programmed’ to be alive. I mean at first look you may think that the city has great pace and people are so dedicated and alive and that joie de vivre thing and all…but once you start to live in the city I mean really into the city, with no other choice…the city comes out to be totally different than what it seems to be.

I always think that Mumbai lacks style, the kinda style Delhi has, Pune has. Mumbai lacks the personality, again Delhi, Pune, Nashik and every other town has. Mumbai just bunch of crowd. They don’t even have arrogance in style…Arrogance is the most stylish trait of mankind. They are just ignorant and frightened to give acknowledge to anything happening around. They are fearful of theft, murder, extortion, rape, robbery, epidemic, Tsunami, crash in Sensex and what all. They hardly care about the government’s last week position (the only fear of the re-elections. Although I don’t think most of them votes, or have an independent say.), they don’t care about the nuke deal (they are ready to comment on America, and Bihar with the same loud voice), thee don’t love thy neighbours. I have heard many communal and geographical remarks in the local trains. I used to think that Raj Thakre (or Thackeray?), have created this hatred towards biharis and bhaiyyas. But Raj Thakre has just given the voice to the hatred, now people blame openly to each other for the condition of Mumbai (like they care about Mumbai, huh!?). I mean this doesn’t lessen Raj’s sins.

I think this city is not a city, it’s just a crowd each one is pursuing his own dream of being a little better than today, most of them don’t even have big dreams. Well, there’s bollywood in the city, which gives a stencil of dreams to the youth. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a part of media industry, I too dream…of making movies, making all kinds of movies, making personal movies. Because of this dream, I don’t like my current job as an assistant producer in a TV channel that’s yet to be launched. I don’t participate in any creative meets, as I truly think any idea of our channel is not creative enough to be creative. Well, this view has an anti-view that, in such situation I actually have an opportunity to show my creativity, given that I have any creativity…well I’m miserable too! I wasn’t doing anything that may have been counted as creative…but yesterday I shot something and edited it too. It’s kinda music video of the Cranberries song Zombie…suitable for my current situation. Maybe I’m getting touched by creativity again…may be that’s why I’ve started to write too! Well then I may start to write my script too! Its rainin’ ideas and they are thrashing me out!

This rain has thrashed the city too. It has thrashed the roads, the public transport systems, the health, and most importantly the spirit…I mean c’mon just by a week’s rain you fear to come to standstill, then why you term this geographical area as a city. But still people are becoming romantic….the girl kissed his boyfriend or not I couldn’t see… (Not because I’m not a voyeur, but because they went away from the visual reach my window offers!)