A ray of hope for Mumbai

‘Pay up or clean up’ is the BMC’s new formula for cleaning up Mumbai's streets. Starting today, litter-bugs in south Mumbai will be hauled up by broom-wielding officials and forced to sweep the street, if they refuse to pay a fine.

My hearty applauds to the BMC on this move.

I have been in charge of policing my family and friends whenever they try to throw that empty chips packet or that toll-receipt or that suddenly-discovered-useless-thing lying in their bag. it is strange to see that some people don't have the litter-itch when they are outside India, but don’t think twice while littering once they are back in India. I hope the move by BMC helps change this mindset too.
And oh yeah, I need to warn my mom-in-law on her next visit to Mumbai.

Rave party - An interesting take

It's been two days and all the newspapers are still screaming about the police's timely crackdown on the rave party in Pune. While you might have joined the majority in the country who would sigh over the devolving youth in the country, here's an interesting world-view by Mayank Shekhar on the same.

LINK.

Women's day?

I am sure yesterday would have added immensely to the mobile traffic due to the much publicised women's day celebrations and the hype created by the media on the subject.

But then on such days, there are always these questioning articles or reports in the media which blame the government, men and almost everyone for those women who are still bullied by their husbands and in-laws, who are still below the poverty line, who are unwillingly forced to sell their bodies to provide for their children and for whom the glass ceiling is opaque.

On this day, eminent people pour in millions on suggestions on how to improve conditions for the trampled upon women and self-help sites come up with an equal number articles professing on how women can break even an opaque ceiling if only they were bold enough and how they can win over the world and the dominating men with the right shade of lipstick on their lips.

Come the next day and everything is forgotten. Everyone goes back to their comfortable lives where one hardly has the time to ponder on other people's problems. Everything is forgotten. But not for long. The next year, come women's day, maybe the same articles are dished out and made more attractive by adding some more heart-wrenching tales and self-help material to it. So, what's the point? Or is there a point at all? True, it’s a good day to salute all those successful women who have become larger-than-life figures in their own ways, but what about the not-so-lucky or not-so-surefooted women? I am sure they feel used and dread this so called Women's day.

Let me use the pretext of all the women's day hoopla to introduce to you one amazing lady I met roughly a month back. I took part in her Pranayama workshop in the Health Education Library for People in Mumbai. Her energy and exuberance and unlimited enthusiasm on her chosen subject, Yoga, amazed me. Meet her here.

I am a little jealous of her too. She seems to have chosen her own path and seems to like it and revel in it so much. Sometimes I wonder whether this brick would fit better in some other wall.