The Misconstrued Patriots: The Everyday Changing Definition of Patriotism

Patriotism, like religion, is a phenomenon that harbours on the highest order of conviction of the practitioner. However, like religion, it has started deriving its belief not from convictions but from conveniences. While they may sound similar, their connotation is as different as chalk and cheese. One derives its strength from unshakable belief while the other does it from opportunism. One goes beyond a person’s physical being while the other is very much confined to physical and mental conditioning. One hardly ever changes while the other can be as fickle as the weather.

 

We, the Tolerant; Now Lets Crucify the Fellow for Sharing his Opinion

We live in an amazing country. Even before one controversy is brought to its logical conclusion , thanks to our media, we are engulfed into another one, the latter being as ridiculous, if not more, as the former.

Even before the controversy surrounding Lalu’s 9th pass son making it to the post of deputy CM of Bihar or his 12th pass son being made a cabinet minister could  die its natural death, the media took one statement out of almost an half an hour long interview of Aamir Khan (the irony being that it was at an award function meant to felicitate outstanding practices in journalism), ran it as their headlines 24×7 and managed to make it into a national issue. This, at a time, when majority of Tamil Nadu is engulfed in floods, farmer suicide is on the rise and major parts of the world are on red alert. So much for the journalistic ethos!

 

Reservation – A Necessary Evil In A Diverse Society

‘Reservation’ – one word that never fails to evoke reactions across all the segments of our country. Everybody who is anybody has some opinion or the other on the topic of reservation. While reservation has been known to exist since the time of independence, the topic usurped national conscience in 2006, when the government passed the OBC quota bill, giving 27% reservation for OBCs in central educational institutes.

The passage of the bill was followed by huge backlash, with student protestors making their presence felt throughout the country. Both, the ones beneficiaries of the bill as well as the ones at the receiving end of it had their opinions to share which, most often than not, were not in the kindest of tones to the opposing parties. The backlash is such that even till this day, whenever the results of an all India level exam like IIT-JEE, AIPMT or CAT is declared, we still find a few students raking up the issue again and blaming it for not being able to clear the exam or getting the college of their choice.

 

Indian Mythology Interpretaion– The Real Evil Behind Women’s Downplayed Status

There are innumerable causes given to reason the current plight of women in the Indian society. You discuss this topic with 10 different people and they will come up with 10 different theories. However, whatever be the true cause, the one thing which all of us can form a common consensus on is the fact that society’s interpretation of women as just a ‘home-maker’ is deeply flawed.

 

I Don’t Want

I don’t want my planet to be what it is –

With all the pollution and the global warming,

With  the extinct species and  the trees that are falling.

With all the dwindling habitat and receding  glaciers,

With  the natural calamities  and a future full of fears.