Social Mirror

Dearest you , First of all, many thanks for being my support all these years… I don't know who I am to you, an honest blogger who expresses his view about the world, or a clown who provide free entertainment for his own fun. So far I’ve only tried to bring forth stories that I believed was worth your time and I'll continue this endeavour. I want you to bear some more of my musings in the form of blog/social media posts but with absolute freedom of your choice. I'm no comedian, but keeping the humour alive is one of the prime objectives of my writings. I can’t sacrifice humour to sound serious and intellectual. But unlike professional comedians, I won't guarantee if I’ll always make you laugh. Sometimes my jokes are really bad. I have no political affiliation, but sometimes I do take sides, not extreme though. The 2019 political battle will be exciting, especially after BJP’s recent defeat in the four major state assembly election. I’ve been quite inconsistent...

Improvement is the constant endeavour humanity has been undertaking for eternity. The basic virtue of humans is to improve their well-being with the help of technology; from developing simple tools for hunting and gathering to directing Google Assistant or Siri order nice and warm food from our favourite restaurant, we’re on a relentless quest for easing out our life. That's why we are witnessing an undergoing transition from conventional technology into smart technology. What Is Smart? The popular definition of ‘smart’ is anything that is able to connect to other devices, or to the internet, and can be controlled remotely. But, with the latest technology coming every day, this definition might become obsolete sooner or later, what is going to be consistent is the reason why smart devices are being invented. And why you should be using it. A smart device, according to me, can be defined as something that saves your time for more productive or “humanly” activities. A machi...

The dream to be fit and have in possession of tip-top body shape is a dream of people across the globe. Some people will admit it, some won’t. Sometimes, to make this dream come true, we take action (as a reaction of some subversive motivational videos or text) and get ourselves enrolled in a gym or yoga class, eat healthy (and tasteless) food, forcefully digest bitter juice of bitter gourd, and whatnot. But it barely lasts for long-term. Within months, we tend to drop out. The “we” here is most of you and me. So, why does this happen to most people? Why do we fail to achieve our grand fitness dream? At the end of the day, even after a high dose of motivation, why do we choose to ignore the fitness goal we set in just some days ago? Probably because of the urge for laziness or the cravings for fatty and sugary food items. Or, because it is boring and feels like pain with no gain. But the fitness dream ain't big, rather it is just the default mode we are supposed to be in. What...

American civil rights activist and founder of neo-feminist movement #MeToo, Tarana Burke asked women to open up about sexual harassment they've experienced in the past, or facing it right now. She said, “ You don’t have to tell your story, you just have to say Me Too. ”  Since then, there have been shocking accounts of women describing their unfortunate experiences, and thereby holding a mirror to the civilised society. They range from stories of assault to stalking to intimidation. With each further account making clear that there was a systemic pattern of abuse and silence. Now as a hashtag, #MeToo symbolises solidarity and support of thousands and is today one of the most momentous contemporary movements globally. The reason for the success of this movement, obviously, is the popularity of social media and the involvement of many well-known people mainly from the entertainment industry of Hollywood. MeToo Arrives India Now, it seems that MeToo has arrived India. ...

This year in 2018, a first-ever centralized test was conducted by the Nalanda Open University (NOU), on behalf of the Bihar government for admission into 322 B.Ed colleges across the state. Prescribed by the previous governor of Bihar, Satyapal Malik, as it was publicized in the media, the combined entrance test (CET) was done in order to tame the B.Ed colleges which have been reduced to mere money-making business; some of them being run by powerful people in politics too. They charge more than the prescribed money for admission and yet, they churn out incompetent teachers. The Crisis After conducting the test and announcing result of the same, NOU held counselling of the CET candidates to allot appropriate colleges to them according to their marks. In the result, around 62000 candidates were declared as qualified, and 36440 among them were invited for the counselling held in Gyan Bhawan, Patna. The counselling was merely for document verification and submission. The c...

The Sanjay Dutt biopic “Sanju” was released on 29th of June made by one of the best filmmakers of the B-town, Rajkumar Hirani. It was marketed as an “unbelievably true story”. Indeed Dutt’s journey is unbelievable. However, there have been many unbelievable personalities too such as Dawood or Osama. Sorry for comparing Dutt with Don and Terrorist. The drugs, booze, women, and AK 56 make Sanju a largely negative character in the real world. Not his fault, according to the film. Some people say Sanjay Dutt doesn’t deserve a biopic as there are many “good” people, with their “good” work, that go unnoticed. The argument over whether Dutt deserves a biopic or not is inane. It’s like saying Dhoni’s biopic should have been made after his retirement. The truth is, biopics are made on interesting people, not the good ones, especially if it is of commercial in nature. If that interesting people is a negative character, it gets more publicity. Also, a “fictional” biopic cannot be real. Be i...

On April 28, 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan were seen walking together along a sidewalk on the shores of the enchanting East Lake, a large freshwater lake in Wuhan city, also the largest urban lake in China. And this “relaxed and friendly”, in a bright and sunny atmosphere, meeting between the two leaders was publicized as an “Informal Summit”. According to the government, Mr Modi and Mr Xi exchanged their views on major issues of bilateral and global importance and that they shared the view that, in the middle of current global uncertainties, peaceful, stable and balanced relations between India and China will be beneficial for the world. Even Pakistan. Productive discussions over tea. Strong India-China friendship is beneficial for the people of our nations and the entire world. pic.twitter.com/ZBPiVu7a5A — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 28, 2018 They later enjoyed freshly prepared Chinese tea, and had a boat r...

From the colonial times, cricket and politics remained an inseparable thing in the Indian subcontinent. Ashutosh Gowariker’s "Lagaan" gives a hint of when did they began mixing together. But the whole episode of Bhuvan ’s struggle of not paying the lagaan (taxes) to the British government —at times of monsoon crisis ( ghanan ghanan )— becomes small and insignificant, if politics over cricket between India and Pakistan is taken into account in the past few years. Just a few days before the commencement of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Pakistani cricketers began to shower their ‘alleged’ love and sympathy for Kashmir, now when they know couldn't take part in IPL, they are showcasing their outrage on Twitter —not against IPL— but against Indian army and India as a state. After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, perpetrated by Pakistan based terror organization ' Lashkar-e-Taiba' , the Indian government has put a ban on Pakistani players from participating in I...

Before beginning, I would like to reiterate that Salman Khan is just a cinema star, nothing more nothing less. So leave celebrity worship aside and try to be pragmatic. Salman Khan’s past was nowhere similar to his modern-day superhit films. Infamously known as the bad boy of Bollywood, he has been directly involved in criminal cases of pretty grave nature. Hit-and-run case , in which he allegedly under the influence of alcohol ran his car on the footpath in which one person was killed and four got injured. In that case, first his driver was made a scapegoat but a little while later, things became murky the result of which Khan was acquitted by the Mumbai HC in 2015. His relationship with Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) fetched an excellent TRPs to our media, first with and rumours about their relationship, then with confirmed rumours, and even after the break-up, when former miss world accused him of harassing her. Black Bucks/Chinkara poaching case , about which this post is all abo...

This year’s CBSE board exams have been conducted ‘extra’- ordinarily. Never before such rampant corruption in the board has been exposed so brazenly. In place of students, this time, the administrators and those in power cheated. And, all happened the same year when PM launched his book 'Exam Warrior' in which he preaches the importance of exams to the children and provided some measures to help them cope up with exam pressures. When one of my acquaintance, who gave board exam this year, informed me about the unusual activities, I thought she is bluffing and it’s her mere excuse for not studying throughout the year. But now we all know that the bluff was real, that papers have leaked. The leakage, as we know, took place on a popular messaging app Whatsapp, from one forward to another, to all others, even to those who are not connected to the exam at all. Though not every time and not all questions were leaked on WhatsApp. After all, why would the scamsters forward que...

SSC or Staff Selection Commission , an organization under Government of India, conducts examinations to recruit personnel for different posts in the various ministries and departments of the Government of India and in subordinate offices. Every year, lakhs of government job seekers apply for SSC exams in hope of a stable government job they can bank upon their future. This year too, the examination was conducted as per schedule in February. The difference, this time, is the allegation of mass cheating being executed by some corrupt coaching institutes which somehow managed to obtain the question paper of SSC tier II exams and sold them to the rich and powerful people. The candidates who appeared for exams this year are saying that it is only possible in collusion with the SSC higher authorities. There is a facebook page SSCtube from where we got a clear hint of the leak. They posted screenshots of questions before the exams which was shared widely. As per the candidates, the s...

Little birds, my source of joyousness, I know you since the finest moment of my childhood curiousness. Your sweet chirp was my alarm tone, Redundant was the alarm clock or the app on my phone. Come and wake me up, dear sparrows. Every day from our balconies, some of us watch you with utmost fascination; Some selflessly feed you with great affection. While some, maybe most, do not pay heed, Towards your stubby trunk, short tail, and the cute beak Through which you pour the entrancing melody. Friendly sparrows, don’t deprive us of your song. Why are you abandoning us? Think about those among us, Whose day begins with your sweet chirps. You've lived with us for ages, Became our house member, of sorts. Don't leave your home, little sparrows. Your disappearance is troubling, You aren't just another bird to boost Earth’s biodiversity, You are an indicator of a civilization prosperity. I think AR Rahman has dedicated a s...

AFTER AN EXHILARATING HOLI, comes the boring and haunting board exam, the exam for which no amount of preparation gives an impression of sufficiency. Students across the nation get excited as well as depressed. They are ‘excitingly depressed’. Excited to give the final exam of their school life, to enter into a new world, and depressed thinking what society would say if their marks won't be that good. Sharma Ji’s meritorious child is making things worse. While the level of questions asked in the exams has become easy these days, the quality of students being produced is decreasing, WhatsApp, Social Media and expansion of internet are to blame. The internet and smartphones may help students in their higher studies, but it misfires in case of younger kids. It only serves as a distraction, the biggest of modern times. Earlier, when kids go out to play some sports , it was treated as a distraction from studies. But now, it has been understood clearly that it wasn't seeing...

With few Modis coming out as corrupt doesn't imply that all people with Modi surname are corrupt. But, it certainly hurt the humble chaiwala PM MODI brand image in public. PM MODI DURING HIS 2014 ELECTION CAMPAIGN, in a public rally, asserted that he will serve as a chowkidar (watchman) of India and will stop the ongoing loot. The rhetoric was so powerful that even corruption crusaders like Anna Hazare fall for it and almost came out openly in support of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. But, he appears to have failed in his role as a chowkidar . With the fall of Nirav Modi brand after Modigate, the question is, is it going to affect the political ‘Modi’ brand? If yes, how? Nirav Modi’s association with PM Modi is not very clear. But the owner of Gitanjali gems and Nirav Modi's maternal uncle, Mehul Chinubhai Choksi has also been named in the PNB fraud . In a public speech, the way PM Narendra Modi mentioned his name indicates how well he know...