Musings of an Indian teen

2008-08-16T15:24:00.002+05:30

Yo all,

Visited here after a long while and decided to officially shut this place down. So then, I'll just put up the sign that says "CLOSED"

This is where I am now:

http://chittz.wordpress.com

Cheers!

Do drop by.

Best,
Chittz

The three sentence story

2006-03-13T19:45:00.000+05:30

I have stood a silent spectator to a mass of people, who generation after generation have bungled through the centuries, bearing witness to all their Ecstasy, despair, riches, poverty even the private battles of those men and women whose great valor and spirit may never again be seen on this earth, always remaining a record defying even that swift tide of time.

But that swift tide moves on, memories are forgotten, friends disappear, 'legends' become 'tales', and one small slip from grace, they forget all loyalties, those whom I had guarded, come back with heavy ammunition and iron monsters with steel teeth.

It's tough being a historical building in India, first it is the graffiti, then it gets more colorful, then obscene and then the bulldozers step in.

I believe...

2006-03-06T23:41:00.000+05:30

I believe... one person can change the world, and everyone in it. Fate is a comfortable notion, but it all comes down to my choice, my destiny in my hands. Living for today, inspiring as I go along, I can make a change slowly, with one choice at one time. I just need to reach out, speak up.

Life is not easy, not idealistic in clear cut images, never in black and white. Words are fine and dandy, but reality always comes crashing down. Natural calamities, terrorism, despair and anguish are not one's choice but always crippling. One needs to bend to the world's rules to avoid being broken. It is a move, or get shoved world. After all what are you in this world, 1in 10 billion?

There is no man too evil to be recovered, no person too cruel not to have a heart. It is there, in hiding, but they are all waiting, waiting for someone, to reach out, some one like you, someone like me. If they hit us, we will not hit back, we will respond but with a higher level of justice. We will teach those who have forgotten, we will support those who have lost hope. We will spread the meaning of hope, faith and honor; we together will make a difference.

Are people so easy to judge? Is it easy to differentiate what is right and what is wrong? Where will you put the 14 year old who killed his own father? Where will you put the "leaders" who are willing to murder innocent masses in the name of religion and politics? Where will you put the police officials who collect bribes but still work hard trying to maintain peace? Where will you put the child soldiers of Afghanistan and Africa who are killing so that they do not starve? Are they good or are they evil? There is too much of gray in the world for anyone to judge what is good or what is bad there is just too much of pain...

I believe, we are not here, to mourn the dead, or cry with those who weep. We are here to help, to offer succor to those who can still be helped. I do not say we wage war against evil... I say we try to change the only thing we can... ourselves. Live with higher ideals; believe that there is hope of a better future, knowing that there are still those who care. We may not change the world, but we will make a difference, by offering one ear, one shoulder, making the world a better place, at least for one person.

We may not end terrorism, we may not help all those who suffer, we may not comfort all those who grieve, but we will reach out to some of them, and we will pass on the message, that there is yet hope. Hope for the future that is yet to come. It is not easy, but not impossible either. Perhaps, we will all forget our small petty quarrels and remember that the small things in life are almost always the most important.

This is a call to arms so to speak, a call to all those who believe. If you believe that we can make a better world, then we are one step closer to achieving it. If we all band together and fight for something better, it is nearly impossible for anything to stop us. Love, honor, the future of the world, happiness and human dignity are the only things that matter. And they are totally in our own hands and the choices we make. When it comes down to it, all that really matters is that we are here now, we have life, we live in a beautiful world, and each of us has the power to control ourselves, and improve the world around us. If we believe we can make difference, there is very little we cannot accomplish, and in the process, we may just change the world, one life at a time.

umm.. right.

Secularism... happens only in India....

2006-02-25T11:00:00.000+05:30

" India- a land of rich and varied heritage".

It happens only in India that a muslim president, a sikh prime minister, a roman catholic woman as the chief leader of the ruling party, function in peaceful co-existence to form a stable government, along with a 'devout' hindu in the middle to add a little excitement now and then, while a large part of the population tend to beat each other up in the name of religion at the drop of a hat.

13 Things Einstien and I agree about Life

2006-02-24T21:28:00.000+05:30

1. Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

2. Only a life lived for others is a life worth while.

3. If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?

4. If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.

5. Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... it takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction.

6. Never underestimate your own ignorance.

7. The tragedy of life is what dies in the hearts and souls of people while they live.

8. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.

9. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

10. Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

11. When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.

12. If my theory of relativity proves to be correct, Germany will claim me a German, and France will claim me a citizen of the world. However, if it proves wrong, France will say I'm a German, and Germany will say that I'm a jew.

13. Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.

Angel in Disguise

2006-02-12T13:37:00.000+05:30

No wings soaring towards the horizon,
No divine light to dazzle the eyes,
No music to lurch the soul,
No halo of high Extacy.

Just a pair of working hands,
Strong shoulders to cry upon,
A large heart with a steady beat,
A sharp mind and treasure memories.

This is to a lady not divine,
But my angel in diguise,
My angel who watches over me,
CLeared the path, removed so many many thorns.

She watched me as I grew,
Watched me take my first steps,
Encouraged my first words,
And thaught me my first songs.

Cheered as I cheered, if not louder,
Laughed at my corny jokes.
And yet kept a wary eye,
As I began to explore the road called Life.

There were times I stumbled,
And she banished away my tears,
Comforted me when they wouldnt stop,
Supported me, when I couldn't be comforted.

She moulded me into a person I dreamt of bieng,
Standing up for all that is good and right,
Pusing me into the lime light,
Standing outside its periphery, glowing.

Flowers may not blossom at her footsteps,
Birds may not burst into song,
Men may not shiver at the mention of her name,
Reverend Scholars may not bow as she passes,

But who really cares for all that nonsense?
What really matter is that,
We all who know you love you,
So here is to you Mom,
our angel is disguise.

Each face, a story

2005-11-25T21:00:00.000+05:30

Each face says a story,
Each passing glance, a life time,
Moulded by circumstances,
Weathered by the incessant tides.

Eyes tempered to deep tolerance,
By the fires or emotional turmoil.
Eyes sparkling with mischief,
Darting back and forth with delight.

Each face says a story,
Downcast with despair,
Worried about unknown circumstances,
Or gleaming with divine Ecstasy.

Fine lines and deep furrows sculpted,
By joy and sorrow in turn.
Hair combed to perfection,
Or bleached white by time.

Each face says a story,
Each color, each line an emotion.
Never was I more crowded,
Nor neither so alone.

Trapped.

2005-11-25T20:55:00.000+05:30

In the beginning,I believed,
In good and evil, right and wrong,
Decisions were so simple,
Wearing heart on sleeve; so carefree.

Somewhere along the lane,
I realised all were not the same,
Different shades, different views,
A mean, a grey in between.

I began to analyse and categorise,
Weighing rights and wrongs,
A delicate physical balance,
Which a feather weight can destroy.

It wasn't long before I turned to self,
Measuring every action, each word,
Realising each opinion needed backing,
Thinking and then discarding.

So now, here I am,
Caught within the four walls I've built,
To keep me in or others out,
I don't know, don't care to find out.

Trapped, by the very chains I've forged,
Scarred to try new things,
Lest I break the fragile glass,
my heart has become...

Conqueror or murderer was I?

2005-11-02T13:15:00.000+05:30

The guns had stopped booming,
But in its place I heard dying groans.
The smell of blood and tissue
Nearly smothered me till I lost all control.

I heard my voice give a victory hoop,
But my heart only moaned,
Beside me lay dead my commanders,
Before me strangers I had never Known.

They said we had won the war,
But I only saw the corpses at my feet.
They said we had attained victory
But I could hear only the pain and agony.

My head told me I had defeated my enemy,
My heart told me I had murdered a part of humanity.
I saw my county's flag fly high
As I stood on the brink of uncertainty
Conqueror or murderer was I?

Oh blindly had I followed!
never had I questioned,
Your country shall be victorious they said;
Blindly had I trained all day
My folly I never realised,until now,
When it's to late.

"what have I done?" I asked myself,
My heart answered me true;
Much did I protest but how long
Can I deny the truth?
What could I do but kneel and pray?
And I prayed long and hard,
But "You have committed the greatest crime against humanity"
Whispered the conscience in my heart.

The perfect score.

2005-11-02T13:10:00.000+05:30

Once there were two friends, A and B.
Both entered tenth grade at the age of fourteen.
Every phone call from that week on
Was peppered with advice from the 'wise',
"No more library memberships" they said,
"Down with the cable,out with the modem!
This is THE year you have no time for leisure!
No more plays,no,No! absolutely no more extra curricular!
"And on and on the 'encouragement' peaked,
"You need to get 95 percent,that's what you deserve,
You are brilliant, you need to show the world!"
Their words rang in both their heads..."This is THE year...no more leisure..."
A sought to listen to the advice...
After all her relatives were supposed to be 'wise'...
So out went the cable,modem and all,
No more scripts, only graphs...
She firmly put her foot down
.B threw the advice out the window...
the "wise" were not going to live life for her..
And yes, she designed the magazine cover.
That was after the cultural play,
She gained many new friends and the title,"SET DESIGNER."
B thought of reducing production costs,
A though of reducing Quadratic equations,
B begged the director for and increase in the budget,
A begged the science teacher,
For that one more experiment...
Slowly the friends drifted apart,
After all they no longer shared the same path.
Then the common exams came,
And both did well up to their expectations...A got 95, B 82.
They looked through their diaries,
to sum it all,
B smiled at every new friend met,
A at every 95 percent.
A was branded as a achiever,
B as lacking in perseverance,
So who was right and who was wrong?
And who to judged and who to branded,
But those relatives who are called 'wise'?

Brains of the same batch

2005-11-02T13:02:00.000+05:30

When God first decided to create humanity,
He created all the brains in row.
Thousands, millions, billions of them,
Each perfectly timed for its life on Earth.

Each had a different personality,
A unique outlook on life,
Different opinions on different subjects,
Different strengths, different flaws.

God pondered when he was done...
In the end he felt something was wrong,
If all the people were different,
And each opinion unique,
Then the world will always,
Always be plunged in controversy.

And so he categorised them all,
And he added cross-reference tags,
He tweaked a little date here and a opinion there,
And finally the batches were set.
Each batch was sent to Earth,
Scattered to the four corners.
And slowly, excruciatingly,
Some of the brains found each other,
Just like you and me my friend.

I'm that kinda girl

2005-11-02T12:58:00.000+05:30

I'm that kinda girl who is not in the spot light,
I'm that kinda girl who is working it.

I'm that kinda girl who doesn't go on stage,
I'm that kinda girl who organises the show.

I'm that kinda girl who doesn't visit temples,
I'm that kinda girl who argues religion with Geo. teachers.

I'm that kinda girl who doesn't believe in love in first sight,
I'm that kinda girl who believes in Prince Charmings.

I'm that kinda girl who doesn't speak at public gatherings,I
'm that kinda girl who writes winning speeches for those who do.

I'm that kinda girl who thinks the Indian education system sucks,
I'm that kinda girl who reads the Iliad for kicks.

I'm that kinda girl who is not in the cool people's mailing list,
I'm that kinda girl who gives her heart to friends for keeping.

I'm that kinda girl who doesn't mingle much at social gatherings,
I'm that kinda girl whose friends threaten to shut up with duct tape.

I'm that kinda girl who cries after an argument with a sister,
I'm that kinda girl who smirks at a teacher venting of steam.

I'm that kinda girl who always forgives,
I'm that kinda girl who never forgets.

I'm that kinda girl who makes things happen,
I'm that kinda girl who sits back and lets other people think they did it.

The broken Chain

2005-11-02T12:52:00.000+05:30

A rusted chain, tarnished,
Slashing into it's victim's souls,
Leaving behind it like a trade mark,
Gaping wounds,blood and broken hearts.

Link after link it marches on,
enslaving a nation, sparing not a soul,
Manifesting itself into things people crave to believe,
It lies invisible and un-conquered in the dust.

Resistance proves becomes useless,
Too much pain involved,
Monotony takes it's place,
With the chain hidden in the dust.

And yet new links are forged,
Making the chain stronger, harsher,
Breaking families, bringing floods of tears,
Forged by the very victims it binds.
Tradition, Culture and Religion,
Gems, a country's most valuable heirlooms
,Defiled by the hands of greed and prejudice,
Alloyed and added to the dormant chain.

And somewhere in the distance,
A rhythmic "ching" vibrates,
Small blows, small miracles, tolerating the pain,
Breaking away the link, breaking the chain,
Breaking free, soaring free.
And thus a soul may break free,
Though the chain be remade,
One star more to guide those who dare,
Hope of the future, renewing the faith of the nation.

child sexual abuse in India

2005-11-02T12:51:00.000+05:30

First of all, let me begin by saying... I honestly wish I dont have to post this topic... but the thing is, sexual abuse is concidered such a taboo in India hardly anyone talks about it and it lies hidden which people talk about child labour and physical violence... they miss the basic things lieing beneath thier nose. So here are some notes from a organistaion called tulir that is trying the do something about this menance. I feel one of the smallest ways I can help these people is through spreading the message around... so plz check out the following linkwww.tulircphcsa.org/

Deabtes 2005

2005-11-02T12:40:00.000+05:30

Wow... I'll never forget that day.... we had spent days... no weeks slogging over the pc... umindful of backaches and wierd blurrings in front of out eyes.... the topic given to us was "reservation policies give the fairer sex an unfair advantage". Something like 2 days before the actal debates we figured we were prepared only for one angles of the entire debates... Many times during that final week I had told myself that winning was not my objective but not making a cake of myself was... and eventually when I did get on that podium I remember bieng vaguely calm... but it did not last for long... by the end of my speech I thought I was going to collapse or something... nand oh yeah... I also thought I was going much too fast and much too low. oh well.. alls well that goes well... in the end we managed to get best team nd I won runner- up best speaker missing best speaker by one point... :) so yeah... if ure interested.. here's my speech...

According to the National Commission for Women every 26 minutes a woman is molested. Every 54 minutes a rape takes place. Every 48 minutes an eve-teasing incident occurs. Every 4 minutes a woman is kidnapped. One act of cruelty every 33 minutes and one criminal offence every 7 minutes against women take place in our country.

(Intro)

We come from the land of the Manushastra… where Manu has explicitly stated that a woman is expected to be “taken care of” first by her father, then her husband, and in the last stage of her life by her son.” In India… women have always been respected… as ideals of art and beauty, NOT as a part of the government.
In rural India, almost 60 per cent of girls are married before they are 18. Nearly 60 per cent of married girls bear children before they are 19. 245 million Indian women cannot read and write making it the largest population of illiterate women. In spite of all this women are trying to come up in all fields but they are being put down at all levels. Indian women can dominate in almost all fields of economic activity, having acquired the essential instrument for empowerment – education and skill training. These women just need a chance to get back on their feet. Reservation policies for employment and education will help them in just that.
In our day to day lives, every day, in every situation - in public transport, markets, restaurants, women face various degrees of harassment - from whistles, catcalls, cheap songs and rude remarks, to touching, pinching, flashing. When these go unchecked and unpunished, the result is often molestation, rape and violence. In a country where women have to carry safety pins and wooden rulers as defense objects, and fear retaliation from their abusers, reservation policies form a much better choice.
In politics, can any of us ever believe that no woman has political aspirations or can any of us every say that no woman has ever dreamed of making a difference? Then why is it that women who form half of the Indian population and one-third the labor force are represented in the parliament only by 11.6%...? The common argument is that people believe that women lack the sharpness and charisma to carry a public post. We have already seen the success of the women panchayat leaders who have benefited from the reservation bill reserving 1/3 of the seats for them. A new army of a million empowered women have come forward and have taken bolder steps against corruption and have passed policies to reduce liquor consumption in their villages. These reservations in governance are not incentives for the women to enter politics. Rather it is to force men to give way for them to enter.
The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes

ask no favors for my sex.... All I ask of our brethren is that they will take their feet from off our necks.

Centre Stage

2005-11-02T12:37:00.000+05:30

Listen to my silent plea,
Look into my eyes,
Hear the words I dare not speak.
Somewhere inside me there is
A person outspoken and forthright,
Not scared to ask questions,
Exploring paths now hidden to me.

When the moment really nears,
and I need to speak,
My opinion really matters...
They will define someones world.

That is when I become... frozen.

No words come out,
"No ones listening" a voice nags,
Hands shaking and palms sweating,
The moment swift flees, lost in time.

Softly I return to the shadows,
Unseen and unsung,
Just another face in the masses,
Perhaps the way I wanted it to be.

The moment comes again,
This time with lights glaring,
But now I am someone else,
Someone you do not know.
The nagging voice left behind the curtain,
Wearing a mask, false yet true,
That lost girl inside me,
Found - Centre Stage.

In memorey of... (poetry)

2005-11-02T12:35:00.000+05:30

In memory of...
All the unsung heroes,
Every anonymous face,
All the hearts broken,
Every drop of blood spilled.

In memory of...
All the battles undocumented,
Every genius unrecognised
,All the visions scorned,
Every discovery unaccepted.

In memory of...
All the faith lost,
Every tear drop fallen,
All the beliefs defiled,
Every candle put out.

In memory of...
To all those unknown martyrs,
Sacrificed on the Battle field or stake.
To all those anonymous faces,
Unknown but not unforgotten.

I just realised how unappropriate the title is....

2005-11-02T12:32:00.000+05:30

mm... I just realised how unapproporiate the tille "daily chronicles" is for the poetry I'm planning to post here... but apparently since my imagination can come up with anything better... got to go with wat I have now..lol... so yeah.. this is a general warnng... do not let the title mislead you... :D

Slow down...

2005-10-31T21:29:00.000+05:30

If life is a road,
You entered it just for a leisurely stroll,
You stopped by every flower,
Admired every shade from green to gold.

Different hues hailed you from the heavens,
Golden rays danced on your face,
A rhythm played in your limbs,
As you hearkened to the music of the waves.

Then you realised you are not alone,
Others walked the path beside you.
You made your closest friends,
Stood up for each of them,
Laughed at their corny jokes.
You learnt the meaning of love and loyalty,
As you casually glanced at the milestones,
But you no longer saw the little flowers near them.

Colors careen past in a glittering kaleidoscope,
Granting visions of paradise itself,
But you whip past racing to an unknown destination,
Overcome by a need to be ahead of the rest,
Your eyes now see only the white line and the tar,
Your ears only hear others' criticisms,
Your mind is pre-occupied with visions Of what lays beyond the finish line.
Your heart is thudding and your head pounds,Your hands and legs churning,
Pushing you on and on.

Then you suddenly realise
The last time you ever behaved silly
Seems a long long time ago,
And the place you want to get to
Just does not exist.

So all you have now
Is the spot you are standing in,
And in that moment you stop to reflect,
You turn towards the west
The brilliant panorama of the setting sun.
Memories come flooding in,
And you smile for once again
You see the small flowers by the mile stone.