The Common Man Speaks

When Tilak returned from heaven! (Imaginary Post)

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One day while in heaven Balgangadhar Tilak aka Lokmanya Tilak decides to go for a short trip on earth for few days. He chose Mumbai since the city is special for him. He had carried out a number of agitations against the British in this city. After biding adieu to his close companion named XYZ in heaven, Tilak leaves for Mumbai.

However, much to the bewilderment of XYZ, Tilak returns after just a few minutes. A worried XYZ asks him, “What happened Tilak saheb? Why did you return so early?”

Bal Gangadhar Tilak

“I returned back as I couldn’t bear what was going on in Mumbai,” answers Tilak.

“What was going on?”

“People of my beloved city were behaving in crazy, wild manner. It was just too shocking for me to bear.”

“Please tell me exactly what happened Tilak Saheb.”

“Some people were playing drums and other musical instruments in the cruelest manner. It was impossible to stand the nasty, ear-splitting noise! At another place, I could hear some vulgar songs which were even enjoyed by all. Traffic was being halted. Loud crackers were being busted carelessly!”

“Oh! That’s weird.”

Tilak continues, “The weirdest part is yet to come my friend. Some hooligans were openly hurling abuses after getting drunk. Worse, they were sexually harassing women and showering obscene comments on them!”

“This is ridiculous! What has happened to the people of Mumbai?”

“I am asking myself the same thing again and again,” Tilak says and sits down on a chair in a helpless manner.

Noticing his grief, XYZ says, “Just calm down Tilak saheb. I can understand your feeling.”

Tilak looks up and says, “No, you can’t understand. You know why?”

XYZ is silent. Tilak continues, “People’s antics which I mentioned just now were a part of Ganeshotsav, a festival which I had made popular!”

“What are you saying??” exclaims XYZ

“Yes my friend! I motivated the people to make this festival a public event in order to show our strength to the British. But this is what they have reduced the festival to now!”

Tilak continues, “There was a time when I used to be excited for Ganeshotsav. But from today, I have decided never to visit my beloved city again during this festival!”

Hence, the person who popularized this festival, has now nothing to do with it.

(Photo source – mumbaichaganpati.blogspot.in)

Ganeshotsav, a national festival!

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By: Keyur Seta

A number of festivals are celebrated in India. When asked about the most prominent ones, the answer of a large majority of people would be Diwali, Eid or Christmas. This is quite logical since these three festivals are the most famous ones, been celebrated all over the country. However, if someone throws the question on me, my answer would be Ganeshotsav or Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from my admiration towards Lord Ganesha, this is simply because of the history attached with the festival.

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Lokmanya Tilak (Picture courtesy – IloveIndia.com)

According to Indian history, the festival is been celebrated in Maharashtra since the time of Shivaji (after 1600). But it was freedom fighter and social worker Lokmanya Tilak who transformed the festival into a national event since 1893.

Tilak’s idea was to unite Indians under this festival to fight against the British, who had discouraged all social and political gatherings. Apart from this, the festival also intended to do the much needed task to bridging the gap between the so-called upper and lower castes. Due to Tilak’s encouragement, people from all communities started participating in the festival. Hence, these are reasons enough to believe that Ganeshotsav is a national festival instead of just a Hindu festival.

This is also evident from the fact that the festival is celebrated with much aplomb by even non-Hindus as well (see picture). The most prominent among these is actor Salman Khan.

This Ganeshotsav, let us pray to Lord Ganesha for such brotherhood and unity among Indians throughout the year.

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(Picture courtesy – timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Power of People: Aseem Trivedi released! (Exclusive Pictures)

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The fact that the power of people is the greatest weapon was proved once again when the Government was forced to drop the wrongful charges of sedition against cartoonist Aseem Trivedi following massive protests across India. Since he is no longer charged of sedition, Trivedi agreed to take bail today (September 12).

The scenes were unbelievable outside Arthur Road Jail. A large crowd waiting anxiously for Trivedi to come out. Finally, when he did walk out of the main gate of the jail, a little after 1pm, he received a heroic welcome.

Amit Katarnaware, who had filed the sedition charge against Trivedi, has no place to hide his face now! I am using such words against Katarnaware because he also tried to communalize the issue by giving it a religious and a castiest angle, just like our vote-hungry politicians.

Have a look at the pictures after Aseem’s release: –

People waiting for Aseem to come out of the Arthur Road Jail

Aseem’s friends and wellwishers waiting for his release

He is out now! An admirer trying to offer garland to Aseem

Aseem addressing the crowd

Mayank Gandhi addressing the crowd

Aseem speaking to his supporters and the media, highlighting the fact that the war is not over yet!

Emergency 2012: Aseem charged with sedition while coalgate scamsters roam free!

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Since last year or so, there have been numerous examples which state that our current Government is no different than the British rulers. This is not the first time I am saying this on my blog. The way they have been trying to crush anyone who raises a voice against corruption has left me with no other comparison. And now, a large section of Indian citizens are making the same comparison after cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was recently charged with sedition for just drawing a cartoon!

Anybody who is fed up with the rampant corruption in the country would relate with Aseem’s creation. His cartoon is just a satirical portrayal of the current situation where scams worth thousands of crores have taken place but nothing is been done about it! But still if our authorities are offended by his cartoon, charging him with sedition is plain ridiculous!

It is quite shocking to see Aseem’s case developing at such a fast pace! Obviously, such fast action cannot be taken due a single complaint. It is clear that the Government has put in pressure. In fact, Aseem has been facing a lot of wrath ever since he joined Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

On the other hand, no action is been taken despite the highly humiliating coalgate scam amounting to an unthinkable amount of Rs 1.86 lakh crore! Forget action, the government is not even going ahead with any probe by just rubbishing off the CAG report. So what wrong did Aseem do by depicting the true scenario of today’s India?

So is Aseem more harmful to the nation than the ones who have been looting the common man in lakhs of crores? Are his cartoons hurting the sentiments of the country more than the actions of those who physically fight in the parliament and worse, openly watch porn in assemblies?

Our Government’s answers to these questions are loud and clear! India is facing another emergency which needs to be nullified with emergency protests!

Arranged marriage = Shopping!

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(This post is not against the practice of arranged marriages. It is just speaks out about how even in the 21st century, marriages are continuing to be like a business deal or shopping. This is something I have been witnessing all my life.)

By: Keyur Seta

Arranged marriage versus love marriage is a debate which has not reached a conclusion. Although it is a general belief that there are merits and demerits in both the methods, I wholeheartedly support the institution of love marriage. This is simply because, according to me, love marriage is a natural process while the arranged one is against the forces of nature.

In love marriage, a boy and a girl meet in places like colleges, offices, parties, etc. They become friends at start and if the tuning of their hearts and wavelength match, they go ahead and become life partners. Hence, we can say they met in a natural way. In other words, their meeting and falling in love is a natural process.

In arranged marriage, two families ‘fix’ a meeting between a boy and a girl. They are made or even forced to meet and decide in maximum 3-4 meetings whether they can consider each other the most important person of their life. The most important relation of our lives is ‘fixed’ by going against the forces of nature as if it’s a business deal. And going against the nature is certainly a bad idea!

However, my opposition to arranged marriage is not limited to this point. After witnessing and hearing first-hand-accounts of marriages fixed in an arranged manner, I find no difference between arrange marriage and shopping! Yes, you heard it right. Okay, let me explain!

(Article continued after picture.)

Before starting their search for a partner in an arranged manner, both the girl and the boy mentally prepare a list of qualities their future life-partner should possess. This is very similar to people thinking about the color, brand, quality, price and fitting of a jeans before going out to buy it. And if you are an MBA, your chances of getting a life partner increase fivefold. I am not sure whether an MBA degree will get land you a lucrative job but I am certain it will increase your ‘market value’ in the ‘market’ of marriage.

But the real shopping fun begins when the girl and the boy’s family meet each other. The party which starts asking questions first behaves like the buyer while the other has to behave like the seller. For example, the boy’s family will start listing all his good qualities, just like a salesman tries to portray his product in a must-buy manner. On the other hand, the girl’s family will try to figure out the percentage of truth in their claims, just like the buyers do to make sure the salesman isn’t taking them for a ride.

After the first round, the tables are turned. Buyers become sellers and vice-versa. Now, the girl’s family will start proving how perfect to-be bahu their girl is while the boy’s family will do some brain-work in guessing the percentage of authenticity in their claims. Most importantly, both of them (girl and boy) will check whether the list of qualities in their potential life partner matches with the mental list they prepared. If it doesn’t, they will probably go to another shop!

If both parties are satisfied, they go ahead with the marriage. In my words – the deal is finalized with both parties benefiting both as buyers and sellers. In this way, a total stranger becomes the most important person of your life after just few meetings. Wow!

But wait a minute! Where the heck does love figure in all this since it is the most important ingredient for marriage? Oh forget it! As long as the girl’s family can say, “Humare sar ka boj hat gaya!” and the boy’s family can proudly declare, “Humare ghar me oonche khandan ki bahu aa gayi,” nothing else matters! Not even love!

Independence Day Special: Birth and Death Anniversaries of Freedom Fighters/ Revolutionaries

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Ever since our school days, we are told that on Independence and Republic days, we should remember all those who sacrificed their lives or a part of their lives to free our country from the clutches of the British. But what I strongly feel is, we should also remember them on the days they were born and the day they left after serving the country. Sadly, many of us remember birth dates of filmstars and cricketers but go blank when asked about the birth and death anniversaries of India’s freedom fighters and revolutionaries. Remembering them is the least we can do for their super-great service to the nation.

So here is the list of the birth and death/ martyrdom anniversaries of these great souls. I have tried to include as many names as possible. Excuse me if I have left out some one. Would be grateful if you can add more names in the comments section.

 

Name                                                      Birth and Death/ Martyrdom Anniversary  

Shaheed Bhagat Singh                        September 28, 1907 – March 23, 1931

Chandrashekhar Azad                       July 23, 1906 – February 27, 1931

Sukhdev Thapar                                  May 15, 1907 – March 23, 1931

Shivaram Rajguru                              August 24, 1908 – March 23, 1931

Batukeshwar Dutt                              November 18, 1910 – July 20, 1965

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj            February 19, 1630 – April 3, 1680

Mahatma Gandhi                                 October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948

Ashfaqulla Khan                                October 22, 1900 – December 19, 1927

Ram Prasad Bismil                            June 11, 1897 – December 19, 1927

Dayanand Saraswati                        February 12, 1824 – October 30, 1883

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel             October 13, 1875 – December 15, 1950

Tatya Tope                                          1814 – April 18, 1859

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar         May 28, 1883 – February 26, 1966

Madan Lal Dhingra                          February 18, 1883 – August 17, 1909

Jawaharlal Nehru                            November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964

Swami Shraddhanand                    February 6, 1856 – December 23, 1976

Vinobha Bhave                                 September 11, 1895 – November 15, 1982

Lala Lajpat Rai                                  January 28, 1865 – November 17, 1928

Mahatma Jyotirao Phule              April 11, 1827 – November 28, 1890

Savitribai Phule                            January 3, 1831 – March 10, 1897

Lala Hansraj                                      April 19, 1864 – November 15, 1938

Shyamji Krishna Varma               October 4, 1957 – March 30, 1930

Rabindranath Tagore                   May 7, 1861 – August 7, 1941

Lala Har Dayal                                 October 13, 1884 – March 4, 1939

Swami Vivekananda                      January 12, 1863 – July 4, 1902

Virendranath Chattopadhyay October 31, 1880 – September 2, 1937

Ramakrishna Paramhansa          February 18, 1836 – August 16, 1886

Hari Kishan                                          1911 – June 9, 1931

Babasaheb Ambedkar                  April 14 1891 – December 6, 1956

Kartar Singh Sarabha                   May 24, 1896 – November 16, 1915

Subhash Chandra Bose                January 23, 1897 – Unknown

Shaheed Udham Singh                December 26, 1899 – July 31, 1940

Jatindra Nath Das                         October 27, 1904 – September 13, 1929

Bipin Chandra Pal                         November 7, 1858 – May 20, 1932

Sachindra Nath Sanyal                   1893 – February 7, 1942

Bal Gangadhar Tilak                      July 23, 1856 – August 1, 1920

Abul Kalam Azad                          November 11, 1888 – February 22, 1958

Surjya Sen                                      March 22, 1894 – January 12, 1934

Pingali Venkayya                        August 2, 1876 – July 4, 1963

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay   June 26, 1838 – April 8, 1894

Khudiram Bose                              December 3, 1889 – August 11, 1908

Rash Bihari Bose                           May 25, 1886 – January 21, 1945

Sri Aurobindo                                August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950

Rani Laxmibai                               November 19, 1835 – June 18, 1858

Mangal Pandey                              July 19, 1827 – April 8, 1857

Ram Manohar Lohia                      March 23, 1910 – October 12, 1967

Babu Kunwar Singh                       November 1777 – April 23, 1858

Birsa Munda                                     November 15, 1875 – June 9, 1900

Lal Bahadur Shastri                       October 2, 1904 – January 11, 1966

Rajendra Prasad                             December 3, 1884 – February 28, 1963

Jayaprakash Narayan                     October 11, 1902 – October 8, 1979

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar                 July 14, 1856 – June 17, 1895

Jawaharlal Nehru                           November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964

Sarojini Naidu                                February 13, 1879 – March 2, 1949

Gopal Krishna Gokhale                 May 9, 1866 – February 19, 1915

Bhikaki Rustom Cama                   September 24, 1861 – August 13, 1936

Dadabhai Naoroji                           September 4, 1825 – June 30, 1917

Aruna Asaf Ali                               July 16, 1909 – July 29, 1996

Usha Mehta                                    March 25, 1920 – August 11, 2000

Sucheta Kriplani                            June 25, 1908 – December 1, 1974

Vasudev Balwant Phadke              November 4, 1845 – February 17, 1883

Narendra Mohan Sen                     1887 – 1963

Bhagwati Charan Vohra                 July 1903 – May 28, 1930

Sindhutai Sakpal                           November 14, 1948

Jaidev Kapoor                                October 24, 1908 – September 19, 1994

Durga Bhagwati Charan Vohra      October 8, 1907 – October 15, 1999

 

Important Historical Dates

Quit India Movement                     August 8, 1920

Kakori Kaand                                 August 9, 1925

Martyrdom Day of Bhagat

Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru          March 23, 1931

People celebrating India’s Independence in 1947. (Picture shared by Lets Speak India group on Facebook.)

 

Gokulashtami = License for sexual harassment?

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Festivals are the most special days of the year as they bring a sense of joy or celebration in our routine life. But festivals like Gokulashtami (Janmashtami) and Ganesh Chaturthi have ceased to rejoice me since many years. Instead, these festivals make me feel ashamed as a Mumbaikar due to the encouragement it provides to hooligans to indulge in eve-teasing and worse, sexual harassment. What is more infuriating is that the police and government are turning a blind eye to it!

Incidents of sexual harassment with a couple of my friends will infuriate anyone who has a woman in his life, be it a mother, sister, wife, friend or a girlfriend. These incidents show that the level of hooliganism has reached insane levels in our city during these festivals. The incidents are as follows: –

— When Miss Y went out to get some groceries today (on the day of Janmashtami) she didn’t know she would experience one of the worst incidents of her life. As she was walking, a large group of Janmashtami enthusiasts tried to touch her and a number of other ladies on the road. Not just that, they passed the filthiest of comments on them.

— Miss Z was returning home after a tiring day in the office. Like every day, she took a bus home after getting down from the train. She didn’t know she would experience the shock of her life when she got the window seat. A truck with Janmashtami enthusiasts was running parallel with the bus. The mawalis started making great efforts to touch my friend from the truck. Even here, they made lots of obscene comments and gestures.

One can feel the fear, shock, humiliation and angst only after one experiences such acts. In both the cases, the victims could do nothing except to let the incident pass. These are just two cases. God knows how many more incidents must have taken place in the city today. In fact, such incidents have become a regular feature during festivals like Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dusshera, etc.

Such festivals are carried out to please Gods. How pleased the God would be seeing such scenes! As such incidents are continuously making a terrible joke of religious festivals, I wonder why there isn’t a single protest shown by groups like VHP, BD or RSS, who consider themselves as custodians of Hindu religion. If they are ‘working’ for the betterment of the religion, why aren’t they showing at least some concern for such grave issues?

It’s high time we make efforts and say a big NO to such incidents, instead of relying on the government or anyone. I have started an online petition against this. Please sign it here and spread it – http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_sexual_harassment_during_festivals_like_Gokulashtami_Ganesh_Chaturthi_etc/?cveddcb

I will also send a letter or an email to the police authorities demanding protection to women from such anti-social elements. Hoping to receive lots of support from fellow Mumbaikars for a cause that needs immediate action!

I still support Anna Hazare but…

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I have always wholeheartedly supported Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption and voluntarily taken part in almost every agitation of his group in Mumbai. Reports and pictures of all major rallies are reported in this blog. However, I have not posted anything about Anna and his team’s decision to enter electoral politics. All these days, I was hoping to get convinced by this decision. Unfortunately, as that hasn’t happened, I think it is time to break my silence and declare – I am against their move of forming a political party! But I would like to make myself clear that I am only against their move and not against them. My support for Anna remains intact.

The manner of announcing the decision was more shocking than the decision itself, not only for me but for a large number of Anna supporters. I would like to explain myself through the following points –

— Ever since the movement started, the government accused team Anna of having a political agenda, which was rubbished off by the former again and again. Mayank Gandhi (head of Mumbai IAC) too rubbished off such accusations in almost every IAC rally in the city.

— Team Anna went on an indefinite fast from July 25, 2012 to compel the government to take action against the 15 tainted ministers and pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. They said innumerable times that they will end the fast protest only after government takes some action.

— On July 27, 2012, Anna said he will not form a political party. Read here.

— On Sunday July 29, 2012, Mayank Gandhi, in Azad Maidan, once again announced that entering politics is not an option for us (team Anna). To stress his point, he gave this example – He used to consider Lalu Prasad Yadav as his hero during Jayaprakash Narayan’s campaign in the 1970s. However, we all know Lalu’s antics after he entered politics.

— On August 1, 2012, Delhi police asked team Anna to get admitted to hospital. This meant that the government was starting to get worried and the agitation was gaining momentum. Even on this day, Kejriwal announced they will end the protest only after getting results. But in Mumbai, Mayanji suddenly put forth the option of team Anna joining politics, which was accepted by a large number of people present at Azad Maidan. It was decided that the option of entering politics will be put forth in front of the core committee.

— On the afternoon of August 2, 2012, team Anna suddenly announces that it will end fast and instead enter electoral politics!!! Less than 24 hours ago, they were hell bent in continuing the agitation until they get the desired results. So what exactly happened in those hours that forced them to take a 360 degree turn? More importantly, why was the option of entering politics considered by Mayankji when just 2 days ago (July 29) we were told we would never enter politics! What happened in those two days?

I read Arvind Kejriwal’s letter, which explains the reason for taking the decision, with great anticipation but even that failed to convince me. (Read it here.) The letter says they were considering about entering politics since last few days before announcing, as per the demands put forth by a majority of supporters. If this was the case, why we never heard about it during those few days? Why they didn’t have any discussions and debates for some days before taking such a humongous decision? Lastly, why did team Anna, on August 1 (a day before announcing the decision) stress on the fact that they will continue the protest until the demands are met?

But leaving all this aside, I think people shouldn’t expect much from the party in the 2014 elections. Considering the large number of people unaware about Anna’s movement, mostly from the interiors of India, overpowering the current government looks like a remote possibility. Having said that, I would be delighted if Anna’s party achieves great success in 2014. As my support for him is firm, it’s needless to say that I will surely vote for his party in the coming elections.

Section 149 for Anna supporters, media silent!

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The Mumbai unit of India Against Corruption held another successful protest rally today at Azad Maidan. Although everything went on smoothly, we the supporters were in for a shock when we were told that Section 149 has been imposed. Due to this, once we were out of the Azad Maidan, we were neither allowed to wear Anna caps and, more shockingly, nor allowed to hold India’s tricolor in the vicinity! That’s all we were told. Someone knowing more about this, please enlighten me! But due to the act of the authorities, one is forced to ask the question whether we are still living under the British? Imagine, not allowed to hold India’s flag in India! And what harm does Anna caps do?As expected, the media is silent about this!

The webcast from Jantar Mantar in Delhi was received with a thunderous applause when Arvind Kejriwal’s doctors proved government doctor’s wrong. According to the doctors at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal and his comrades are doing quite fine and they don’t need to be hospitalized. Reacting to funny man Digvijay Singh’s statement that they will have to force feed team Anna, Kejriwal firmly said he will pluck out needles and won’t chew food if he is forcefully given food after dragging him to the hospital.

Since we have been receiving weird statements from the government, it looks like the fast protest is making an impact. Talking about funny statements, Salman Khurshid, while reacting to team Anna’s fasts, said even he is fasting for the month of Ramazan. Now, even a primary student would know there can’t be any comparison between a Roza fast and a fast unto death. This is another example of how we are been governed by dumb-headed folks.

Pictures from today’s protest rally: –

At the Gateway Of India

At the Gateway Of India

 

Double standards: BEA never asked rowdy political parties to apologize

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Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare apologized to the media after the Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) demanded an apology after few incidents of violence and abuse by Anna supporters. Anna did the right thing as such acts are uncalled for in a peaceful movement. However, the way the BEA went up in arms against Anna and the movement, shows the media body’s filthy double standards.

Over the years, there have been numerous incidents where goons of rowdy political parties have smashed offices of various news channels. Apart from the huge monetary losses, their acts also caused injuries to the people working with the channel. Despite such criminal or even terrorizing acts, BEA has never ever till date demanded an apology from any of the political parties. A shining example of their double standards or bias towards a movement, which is trying to save India from corruption.

Just because we (team Anna) are harmless, they condemn our minor acts and demand an apology but when it comes to dealing with the powerful political outfits, they become scary bones! In this way, BEA is indirectly stating that you can’t misbehave or abuse the media but it is perfectly fine if you walk into a media office, destroy its property and injure its employees. Worse, the BEA doesn’t even blink an eyelid when the heads of these political parties laud their acts of violence!

I am sure anyone from the BEA doesn’t have an answer to this.

And this is what we get by apologizing to the media – From the live coverage of Jantar Mantar (on the internet); it was noticeable that the venue was flocked with thousands of supporters. However, when ‘The’ Arnab Goswami saw the same scene, he announced on his channel that there are hardly 400-500 people at Jantar Mantar! Need more examples of how media is trying to sabotage the movement? Watch these news channels continuously. Coming back to Arnab, the pictures below reveal the truth.

Excerpts from this article have been sent to the BEA. I know this will not have any effect on their attitude but at least they would know that the people of India won’t take anything lying down! You can mail them too on – broadcast.editors@gmail.com

The crowd is touching the end of Jantar Mantar in both the pictures.