Yahoo!!! I won!!!

Yes, two days ago I won an essay competition organized for the youth of villages around the Benaulim constituency. Now how many participants did I defeat you may ask. None! Shocked?? I was too when I landed at the Visionaries counter to find myself as the only contestant. Even with such effective marketing as prominent banners advertising the venue, date and time, our opinioned youngsters did not have the time to make it to an event which would have probably contributed to their own development.

I've read innumerable blogs, posts, articles in newspapers by the youth of our state that we need to wake up, stand for our rights, blaming the government about their inaction and so on. But words those are. The time for action may never come. It is all so easy to criticize the government, blame the terrorists, right strong words of condemnation against this and that act, but ask them to meet and come down to congregate for a purpose and no one wants to walk that distance. Its all happy and gay as long as I have to move my fingers over the keyboard to write my opinion on blogs from the confines of my home. But come down in scorching heat to make a difference and no ones there. But the silver lining was definitely to see a crowd of little kids taking part in the painting competition. Guess they are heat resistant. Probably I am generalizing a small set of the Benaulim constituency to the entire state or maybe the country. Probably I am wrong. But where is the proof!!

Khana No Khazana

In a bid to pump my efforts on finding the eluding proton, my mother keeps coercing me to improve my culinary skills. 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach' she quips. What a glutton!!!! Not that I am a bad cook. I consider myself a very experienced cook considering the full-on appetizing and taste bud churning (unfortunately - the wrong way) experiences I've had while trying my hand at the heart rendering dishes.

However, keeping in mind the new age stomach cancer, diabetes, cholesterol and the age old obesity, I'd rather stick to the direct Kismat Connection than go maneuver through the Paapi Peth. What if he's the Calendar Khaana do types. I'll be languishing in the confines. There goes my world tour! Down the food tube!!

Raj or Taj - What's our inspiration?

As I read an SMS from a friend about the starkingly obvious absence of MNS chief Raj Thakeray after the Mumbai attacks, I was struck by a thunder bolting thought.

Raj and The Taj!!! Apart from the phonetic similarities in their names, there seemed to be a few more things in common in the idealogies of the two. Probably their complete dislike for the British agenda. While Raj and the Shiv Sena promote the Marathi manoos bandwagon by changing colonial British names to Indian ( Victoria Terminus to Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Bombay to Mumbai), the Taj was built as a result of Jamshedji Tata being deprived the luxury of staying in Watson Hotel, as it was restricted to whites.

But the similarities end there.

While Raj stands for divisive politics dividing the Indian mindset into the North and Maharashtra, the Taj stands for unity as an Indian entity as people from all states, religion, caste, gender and in fact from differennt nations, stood by each other, saved lives risking their own.

While Raj remained silent after the terror attacks, the Taj spoke of its tears, its sorrow, its pain and its triumph.

While Raj stands for fear and destruction, the Taj is a beacon of hope and fearlessness that we will conquer terrorism come what may.