The 70th year of Independence

Mr Modi has always been known for his characteristic double entendre wordplay, and has validated this very fact on today’s Independence Day Speech. His epic diatribe on Pakistan  triggered the alleged  establishment that Pakistan wants to rule Kashmir but it forgets that it is not paying any heed to its own Baloch residents. This remark did create a launch in many minds and many Baloch opinion makers like Brahumdag Bukti, the grandson of the eminent Baloch leader Akbar Bukti who was killed in the military operation of 2006 , have supported him and thanked him for this consideration. The man can scatter  notions and plant new notions in the minds of people. What a phenomenal leader! He spoke about many developments like the Railway ticket buffer improvement, refund of Income tax made easy, faster issuing of Passports, potentiality of the GST bill and many other expansions and enlargements.

While he spoke about humanity and unity, what interested me the most was his statement, “If the society disintegrates, the empire straggles, gets divided into the highs and the lows”. We as a country is  home to various ethnicities , religions and races and we are so proud about it that our patriotic Independence day write ups and messages throw light on this very “Unity in Diversity” aspect about our country. Yes, this is indeed a matter of pride for our country and its people; but even then how much of it is really true? Modi did say that India as a country attained Independence 70 years ago but what about the Independence of its citizens? Are we allowed to have our own thoughts? Are we afraid to express them for the fear of sedition, or are we in some way biased with our thoughts? There are many points to prove this very point but I would like to bring your attention to a long forgotten Community that proudly calls India its home- The Siddhi Community.

As per my research, the ancestors of the Siddhi Tribe had migrated to India from East Africa on the 15^th Century and lived on our land as merchants, slaves and mercenaries. Ever since then and till now, they have called India- their home but mostly they stayed aloof from the archetypal Indian civilization for obvious reasons; they were not accepted (communally or socially because they were black) by our people who say- "We as a country are one, irrespective of our caste, creed and colour." However, there came a time in 1987, when the Sports Authority of India set up a Special Area Games Scheme that put the Siddhi community on focus. The members were trained to be potential Olympians and International performers for sports so that they could win a medal for our county and make us proud, which they did. They were chosen by the scheme as potentials because of their African genes that make them naturally exceptional in sports. There were many winners from the Siddhi community and they sure did make our country proud but soon enough, the programme was inexplicably shut down by sending letters to the athletes that their services were no longer needed. Post the close-down, a lot of the former athletes had to look for alternative means of living and were trying their level best to be accepted in our stereotypical world; some were accepted but many were ridiculed and insulted because they were blacks and were not considered Indians. However, we must not forget the fact that this community speaks Hindi and the regional languages as accurate as any Indian can speak, they have Indian Passports and have embraced the Indian culture just as any honourable Indian would.

Now, after many requests and pleas from the Tribe our Government has obliged and have brought the SAG scheme back on track and currently many potentials are being trained for the 2024 Olympics  but they are still hoping for some light in the Cul-de-sac. They are hoping to be considered as normal humans rather than drug-dealers, hookers or demons. Our notions and ideologies have not changed much since the past 70 years or even since the beginning of Indian civilization. Initially we openly displayed our resentment in public and today we do it on a social media platform; initially  most of us considered inter-caste marriages a catastrophe and today we still practise Honour Killing. What has changed? Technology? Economy? Government? What about us? When are we actually going to be independent and allow others be independent? Are we still going to break every brick that has the impending quality to be a bridge between what we are and what we think we are? Today I discussed about a community that is hidden in the forests of Maharasthra, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh because they are derided and detested by us; all they wish is to come out and co-exist with us as fellow citizens. We call them Africans, but the current Siddhi Generation don’t know much about their own traditional culture because they have encompassed ours and yet we call them outsiders. Have you imagined being called an outsider in your own country? Well, I have and it made me feel so helpless cause today when I closed my eyes and thought about our tri-coloured flag all I felt was respect and gratitude for my country and its people; it would break me if my country-people say- Stay back outsider you don’t belong here.

References:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pm-narendra-modis-speech-on-independence-day-2016-here-is-the-full-text/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD7sp-L9lUk

Picture Credits:

Google

The Know It-All Syndrome

“The fools think they know it all. The bold pretend they do. The wise know they know nothing. “

Not more than 2 days back while I was busy making a premium dish for our guests, I made a solecism of asking some learned people in the cooking science department about the amount of pepper powder that needs to be used for the dish. I had a vague idea but I wanted the dish to be perfect; so I ended up getting three different suggestions and additions. I just wanted a perfect dish so I followed all three advices and yet I validated the very proverb- “Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth”.

In the above situation I was to be blamed completely but many a times I have realized that even without asking for an opinion or suggestion, some ideas from people pop like an imagery of sharp munitions being thrown between two armies of a prehistoric war and some of them drill into your mind in a way that you would feel like yelling- God Stop It!

These clods will ask you a question, give you an analysis, and even before you could answer them, they are ready with an answer. You would just be standing there through the whole throbbing process of a “Know- it all’s” analysis. Now if you are ill-starred that day and you provide your own opinion, these clods would spend hours of your otherwise useless time proving to you how wrong you are.

Dealing with people of your own age is relatively easy, you can afford to get a little nasty on them and tell them- “you can say what you want but every opinion of yours that is going inside me is going to get out as an enormous poop in the morning. So jabber on mister”. However,  my issues are with the slightly grownup lot because they tend to blame you for nearly everything, even if it’s not your fault. For example if you go and tell them- It was night and a random alien who I’ve never encountered before killed me in my sleep, they would still blame me.

Internet suggests various techniques on how to Out-fox a know-it-all. I have tried most of them and trust me none worked. All I know is taking certain opinions with a grain of salt and accepting it for everyone’s sake help me in not creating a scene in front of certain esteemed people; but it’s before I sleep at night that I regret not giving it back to the lousy know it-alls. I feel- how dare I not tell them if you really know it all, why don’t you know that you are imprudent, dumb, infuriating and a pain; but hey, it took me a long time to realize that there is no cure for a know-it-all because they will never figure out that they don’t really know it all. Even on their death bed  they would just be giving sermons on the various career plans that are available after death. So you see, it’s beyond pointlessness; you can never make a know-it –all feel the way you do that’s just going to trigger them to say more about your feelings and the way they feel about your feelings.

Here are a few remedies I have tried which haven’t worked exactly; but since it’s an article, every problem discussed should have an abstract remedy .

Remedies:

Act like a Retard

Next time you see a know it all act dumb and don’t talk much, just smile a lot and let him talk because even a know it-all finds it difficult interacting with retards; gradually we can expect him to give up.

Stuff your mouth with food

When you see them approaching you at an event stuff your mouth with so much food that you wouldn’t be able to respond even if you wanted to, that could ease out the moment.

Try light humour/sarcasm

If your co-worker is a know it-all then you can’t ignore him all the time or act retarded so try some light humour in a not-so-offensive way that could put the message across to your colleague .

Deactivate yourself

Sometimes even when the above points don’t work, deactivate yourself and ignore the prat because someday Karma will deal with him, if not in this life then his next life.

There are no medicines for know it-alls but the world is full of them; you have to put up with them cause they know everything except the fact that there is a  fine line between virtuosity and insanity. No offence, I am not saying a know- it all is wrong always but some times they behave like a windows update process that’s  painful although  helpful; but if I really need help, I am not shy to ask. However it becomes very difficult to tell a know it-all that – being right all the time is great but one must learn when to shut up.


Image Credits: Google