Why have the young voted for the Congress?

This is why I think the young voted for the Congress: - We have not been exposed to the brand of politics that came with the late 70s and 80s-- the reason for the conception of the janata dal or the bharatiya janata party is not very familiar to us. - We are not very keen or religion, cast or regionalism; so hatred and bigotry don't sell with us - We have all been brought up with history books highlighting the role of Indian National Congress in India's struggle for Independence. In the absence of a strong motive to switch sides, we idolize the past - We have seen alternatives before and none of them seem to have performed significantly better. Given that scenario, we would rather stick to a party with a good history - Known recognizable faces, who are not extremists, and are identified as educated, intelligent middle class exist within the congress and we aspire to be like them - It helps to have young turks in the ranks of Congress and Rahul Gandhi draws a fair amount of female adulation I am apolitical and have zero affiliation to any political party in the country. This post is to be treated as an unbiased opinion of a political novice and a complete outsider in the fragmented world of politics.

If dreams are tough and words are few,
If the moments lived are nothing new
If 'everydayness' is the world you live,
And you think 'life' is a sunk ship;
It's then that you need to get up and fight
Break the monotony of a rugged life;
It's then that your strength should show,
Laying the foundation of a better morrow.
Diamond is coal, crystal and gem
It's the 'effort' that defines the name-!!

Adult with a capital A

Ok..this is a bit controversial but I have been thinking about it for sometime now and I would rather jot it down. We say men and women are equal and the "good Lord" doesn't really discriminate between the genders...if that's so, then why is it so different during the procreation process....if a man is capable of procreating 30 days in a month, then why is it different for a woman??? Even if it takes two to tango, the twosome should enjoy equal rights and benefits all the way in an equal world, what say???

Why do people visit but not leave a comment????

A Letter

Hi,

I know, i know...yes, i haven't really visited this blog for a while now; all of you have been complaining about my inertia. And you are absolutely justified; blame it on my attention span. A lot of things happened in the meantime--some personal, some about the world at large. Visited Siliguri after a gap of 6 months. We had a lovely family reunion. Something about this town is enough to rejuvenate my spirits. From the serenity of the tea gardens as you drive out of the airport, to the small town buzz, to the home cooked food to the slow paced, easy life—there is magic in the air. And not to forget the pampering and filial love—can anything ever match up to it?? Life in Siliguri is such a far cry from the ‘everydayness’ of Mumbai

A short trip to Kolkata was also on the cards. The city at this time of the year is hot and sultry. It will scorch your skin and leave you dehydrated and sick. However, if you love food and if you are a shopaholic like me, you wouldn’t mind the two day stop. Bought some lovely cotton kurtas, absolutely Bengali, slick and smart; at least that’s what I think. I am now loaded with a lot of new clothes—what with the gifts that mom bought me and the purchases that I made in Kolkata (yayayyy..isn’t that fun)

A close friend at work has put in her papers. Office would be dull without her…we had some lovely time together. It’s been more than a year and a half for me in the same role. Wish I could add some new dimensions to my profile. The learning curve seems to have flattened out a bit. Thinking of giving writing a serious thought (if you know of anyone interested in a freelance writer, do let me know)

The husband is on a food binge. He has thrown caution to the winds and feasting on all kinds of non-veg—how he loves his turkey and chicken. He has now got his partner in crime to booze (since it is MY friend’s husband, he feels that I am not entitled to complain). So life is one big party for him.

Have you guys watched anything interesting recently? Sat through DevD and Luck by chance over the weekend. Luck by chance is quite boring and if it were not for Farhan Akhtar, I would have deserted the movie midway. The man has some charisma and even his drain pipe voice sounds interesting. However, Konkana was a big let down—wish she was presented better.

DevD is delicious. It is steeped with modern emotions and an identity which is so familiar. A friend mentioned, “DevD is raw.” I think it is that unfazed rawness, the sharpened edges that make it refreshing. However, if ever betrayed in love, I would rather stand straight and move ahead in life. The luxury of drowning oneself in betrayed love is so ‘uncool’.

I think this is ‘it’ for now. I have bored you all enough with the small talk. Oh, by the way, if you have time, do read Saeed Mirza’s “Ammi—Letter to a democratic mother.” The book is eclectic and layered with some hard driven truths.

Enough for now. I wanted to share some thoughts on the world around us. But this piece has become very personal. I would leave that for some other time.

Take care.

jayatri