A couple of months back, I'd started reading blog posts of random people in the blog-o-sphere. I go to a blog through some link posted in a random site and I keep clicking on the "Next Blog" button and reading for hours together (Yea, I know! Even I think I'm pretty jobless and need to get a life and all!). So what I was trying to say is that I've come across a lot of beautifully written blogs. I mean, I'm literally in awe of the writing of so many people. Be it humor, hobbies, social issues or even just random stuff and its not just people from a particular part of the world or a certain age group or anything. I've read blogs of people ranging from 16-40 year olds from America to Africa to India which are equally fascinating.
Anyway, all that got me thinking. What am I doing with this excuse of a blog of mine? I mean its true that I had started it to rant and rave about random stuff from my life and all but it just feels kind of inadequate now. I feel its a pointless waste of time and energy of people who read it, assuming that there are at least a few people who have come across this blog, even if only by accident. So maybe I should delete or maybe I should just let it be. I can't seem to decide. Hmm..
In other, totally unrelated news, the opening ceremony of Burj Khalifa in Dubai was awesomely amazing. I so wish I'd been there to witness it. I guess this is one of the first times I wish I'd listened to my dad and taken up a job in Bahrain, from where Dubai is easier access than India (and I cannot figure out my obsession with linking everything to Wikipedia!). Anyway,that's that and it's all for now. Catch u later (unless of course I do decide to murder the blog).
I was reading the newspaper the other day (Yes!! I've decided to become worldly wise!!) and I came across an article which shocked me to my very core.
It was about this young couple (a Dalit boy and a Muslim girl) in Meerut, India who was murdered because they married outside their communities!! These killings are apparently termed 'honor killings', are pretty common in this part of the country. What is wrong with these people?? Marrying outside their respective castes maybe wrong, but surely, the crime isn't big enough to deserve death. Why? Why do people kill? Apparently, the locals were heard justifying their actions on television and none of the them showed even the slightest sign of remorse!!
The news article went on to say that though a few people were arrested in this regard, no legal action would be taken against them. The more shocking part is that the Panchayat in these parts do not have much control in the happenings of the village. Instead the village elders control most of what happens around and they in turn chose to ignore it or worse yet, be a part of it. Aren't we still in the 21st century or did I miss something? The article says that this is the aftereffect of decentralization, but can we really place our blame on it? Decentralization was, in the first place, provided as a means for the empowerment of these rural areas and as an answer to local problems.
Isn't it just the sheer illiteracy of people that prompts them to do such monstrosities and believe in mindless superstitions? Or do these people function on some other level which forces them to be indifferent to the basic human values? Well.. I guess we might never know!!
After more than four years of insistent pleading, Dad's finally given me permission to take a driver's license. Woooohooo! :) So after countless days of waiting, last week saw my first driving class. I was supposed to reach the institute by 8:00 am (that's too early to suit me..but still..!! ). There are two other juniors from college who are also studying in the same slot as me. I reached the institute to find one of them had already reached. We met our instructor, sort of introduced ourselves and decided to start off. But there in the usual manner that things happen around here, the car wouldn't start. Talk about rotten luck!! :) We both had to actually get out of the car and push the damn thing for a few meters to get it to start. It was embarrassing to say the least. Finally, we got the car up and running and started off. Well, I should say it wasn't as bad as I expected. Initially, we went through this certain part of town which was buzzing with tiny school kids waiting for their school buses and when I say waiting, I should mention that in the process of waiting, they'd managed to take up a part of the road too. So driving through there was a bit unsettling. Another thing would be the fact that I have a new-found respect to all those drivers I've jumped in front of during my reckless crossing-the-road sessions. Now I do know how it feels to have a pedestrian jump in front of your vehicle. Its a my-heart-is-in-my-throat feeling and after that feeling passes, you have an uncontrollable urge to stop the vehicle, get out and strangle that person with your bare hands. :) Anyways, so far so good, but my gear-changing skills need a lot of practice. But I should add that this was definitely worth the wait and I'm enjoying every minute of it! :)
