What is your caste?

Shame on you if you are able to read this blog using Internet and then utilise your caste to get a seat or a job. Wait, what's the connection between them? Does reading a blog or using Internet or caste based reservations have any connections? I think so. And this is how I make sense. 

Castes have been in existence for centuries in India. They are called Varnas. According to Hinduism, "Varna is the term for the four broad ranks into which traditional Hindu society is divided. The four varnas are:

• the Brahmins: priests, teachers and preachers.
• the Kshatriyas: kings, governors, warriors and soldiers.
• the Vaishyas: cattle herders, agriculturists, businessmen, artisans^[1] and merchants.^[2]
• the Shudras: labourers and service providers."  (source- wikipedia)

Hang in there. What do we see here? Professions? Occupations? Services that each individual provides? Then, if we are following our castes, shouldn't we technically be providing those services. Like any Brahmin born across India should be in temples, or schools or just dedicate one's life to god.

A Kshatriya should ideally be politician or a soldier working in Army.

A vaishya should be maintaining a cattle herd, or ploughing the soil, raising crops or managing retails.

a Shudra should be a laborer or totally into providing services to the society.

But we don't follow any of those norms now. What I see is, a Brahmin provides IT service or works in a factory as labor. A Kshatriya manages a hotel or a mall. A Vaishya builds a temple or teaches in a school. A Shudra is a top doctor or a research scientist. Then shouldn't we segregate our castes based on current professions like

1) IT

2) Doctor

3) Scientist

4) whatever!

(Define caste of each person here!)

Why do we still follow that age old casteism and break ourselves into tiny bits? Why do we favor people who are born into castes but have no link to us whatsoever? Why do people need caste based reservations even though they are no more into providing services to the society?

Frankly, caste based reservations were introduced in India to benefit the economically poor citizens. Those days are gone. If at all we need any kind of reservation, they should be totally based on financial status of a family. Not based on caste. 

As long as the caste system exists, we can move only in bits and pieces. Its high time, we shun the caste based opportunities in India and move as one Nation. Religion, caste, community are for unity. Not for divisions. 

If at all, one really wants to approach a caste, create a new one based on one's own occupation. Like I belong to housewife caste where I teach, I provide services through my voluntary work, I rule my home and what not.

And if you can't come out of it yet, GOD BLESS YOU! People are launching rockets and trying to see what's in Mars. And we are stuck with castes. 

Jai Hind. 

Men have cleavage?

The recent lash out by Deepika Padukone (DP) about the much hyped cleavage show has risen many eyebrows. Indeed, DP is right. She and I and for that matter, every woman has breasts. If there are breasts, there is cleavage. What is such a big thing about DP's cleavage? It is just part of a body. Like holes in the nose (nostrils), ears, division between fingers and opening of mouth. What is so special about cleavage? Here it is. 

According to dictionary.com, Cleavage is -"the area between a woman's breasts, especially when revealed by alow-cut neckline". 

Now there it is. REVEAL. So, apparently, when women wear dresses that have low cut lines, cleavage is "shown". But wait there, some men do have their ways to find it. Like when women bend. Like when men are standing right next to women who are seated. When women are breast feeding. When....well, there are many circumstances, when cleavage is shown or seen. But why women are not interested in seeing men's cleavage. 

Hang in there. Do men have cleavage at all? Let's see. 

According to the same dictionary.com website, cleavage is also referred to as, "a critical division in opinion, beliefs, interests, etc., as leading to opposition between two groups"

So, I can see a clear cleavage in politicians, movie stars, normal citizens and for that matter any man whose opinion, beliefs and interests differ from that of other man. So, it is evident that cleavage is something that is in our mind. Not, merely a physical body part. 

Now, let us move on to the media house, that published the story. 

                                                   

What a waste of journalism. Times of India definitely needs a revamp. Of all the worldly things, TOI found a new invention in the world. A woman's cleavage! Now, I wonder, if the reporters who worked on this story and editors and publishers have any cleavage? If not, that means, they are all together in publishing this article. If yes, then whats news in this. They have cleavage too. 

Hence, DP, and other women out there, if in future, someone drools at your cleavage, you drool at the person. For, he has a cleavage that is too visible unlike ours, which has to be shown or seen. 

I am proud of my cleavage. Hey man, are you?

Plagiarism or coincidence?

Now, as bloggers, we maintain ethical codes. We write orignial posts or give credits. At least in my case, I give credits to even google images. But to my astonishment, today I found this piece of write up in a telugu Daily called, "Namaste Telangana' published this morning (Sep 8, 2014). The article bears a striking resemblance to one of my posts published on Sep 5, 2014. But the writer claims it to be a coincidence. Now, what are the odds of coincidence? 

The telugu version of what looks like my blog. A match of word to word. 

The FB profile of the journalist who published the article. 

I am stunned. But, before I reach to any conclusion, I would rather evaluate all the options. After all, we are not here to judge. And that is not my ethical code! 

A letter to Shweta Basu

Dear Shweta Basu

I am not your fan. Neither do I watch all your movies. But,  I did admire your acting skills when you were a child. You overshadowed the leads in Makhdee and Iqbal. So, I totally followed your news and wondered what it would be like when you grow up. And just like my imagination, you grew up into a lead actress within no time. When I saw you in a Telugu movie, I wasn't surprised at all. Like many other heroines in Indian cinema, you did get a buffer from Telugu cinema. But, when your roles started diminishing, I thought you are nothing but a flash.

I never followed you again. But to my surprise, you continued to be in the news for various reasons. Let it be your secret video or your photography exhibition or your recent bust in prostitution. I am sorry that, at such tender age, you are going through many things. But I wonder what will happen to you next? May be, you will just become invisible or emerge as a very strong person. But see, our society is very judgemental. 

The sad part of our society is, they accept heroes who kill people. They accept heroes who can shoot people. They accept heroes who beat women on the sets, who beat people on the roads, who destroy the life of others, who carry dangerous weapons, who have loads of black money and are openly into blackmailing, who sleep with 100 different women, who practice adultery publicly and what not. Those men continue to steal the limelight as 'heroes' and get hailed.

But you are a woman. The mistake that you did is, to take money while giving sexual favors. As you claimed, there must be many other heroines who provide sexual favors to all kinds of men in the industry. But the difference between them and you is, they do it in exchange for roles and fame. You did it for money. Hence, you are judged as a prostitute and they sweep away the roles. 

I wonder what made you to accept publicly that you did make some wrong choices. Because, women at your age, would never dare to accept anything publicly and swiftly shift the blame on to others. My hats off to you. Now, I wonder what will happen to you next. I feel, you should emerge as a strong woman, as you do have streaks of being gutsy. If people can kill and still emerge as being human, then why not you? 

You just sold your flesh for money. You can do wonders. Go girl! There is a world outside where you can make money in tons of ways. Selling your flesh is the last resort for a talented person like you. 

Best of luck