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Thursday 21 November 2013

Tarun Tejpal 's self imposed vacation



Is  six months self imposed vacation sufficient punishment for sexual assault  accused Tarun Tejpal ? And can Shoma  Chowdhry  address a sexual assault an internal matter ? Does that show the face of pseudo society of our country ?



Tarun Tejpall who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman journalist on the 7th November 2013, the opening night of Tehelka’s Think festival at Goa, and was followed by the second assault the next night according to Outlook magazine, which also reports that Tejpal threatened the girl that yielding to his demands was the easiest way to keep her job.The code of watchdogs dictates that if one of us is the thief, we must pounce on him with the same ferocity as we do on others. Tarun Tejpal's alleged sexual assault must be treated the same way as Asaram's alleged rape(s).



Tarun Tejpal, the Editor-in-Chief of investigative magazine Tehelka, stepped down after allegations of sexual assault were made against him by a woman colleague. Tejpal  stepped aside from his role for a period of six months. Surprisingly Shoma Chowdhry who is often seen on television channels  debating for harsher punishment for rape accused  chose to remain silent over two weeks. Tejpal and Chaudhury both tried to keep the nature of the 'untoward/unfortunate' incident shrouded in mystery, it wasn't long before the gory details started to tumble out finally made a public statement saying she needs more time for investigation.



Shouldn't Shoma Chowdhry who was on a Newsweek list of 150 Women who Shake the World -- must have taken the charges seriously and set up a sexual harassment panel in office as per the Supreme Court's Vishakha judgement guidelines . Also as per Supreme Court's guide lines she should have reported the matter to police as it was her responsibility to do so ? Instead Chaudhury, did not confirm or deny if this was a case of alleged sexual harassment and refused to specify what the "incident" was, claiming it was "an internal matter" If we go by Shoma and the internal matter of Tehelka  then we should consider Nirbhaya Rape Case as internal matter of the transporter.  To conclude no way  Tejpal can be treated differently from others accused of having committed a crime under section 376 Indian Penal Code .He must be tried in the court and punished .

Photocredit google image search result








Tuesday 19 November 2013

Watch your LBD Pop

Who doesn't like to dress up well  , we all do and so do I but  dressing up in a style and making a style statement of one's own is more important than just dressing up . Colour co ordination and right tones coupled with  accessories , matching  jewellery ,shoes ,bags and watches  are important elements in my dressing style . Most important I  like to dress up elegantly and look crisp dressing up sloppily doesn't go with me  and here are few tips for dressing up my style please click on the below given link .


Will come back with more tips in my next post , à la prochaine !

Monday 18 November 2013

15 Basic rules to fitness

"Physical fitness has been defined as a set of attributes or characteristics that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity.In previous years fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient. In current contexts, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy ."



Following a fitness regime regularly not only cuts down ageing signs from the face and body but also helps increase metabolic age. But to achieve a fit body is a task for most of us , some may try to achieve it through dieting and others through workout and at times we also get carried away by advertisements promising to weight loss and fit body . If you are looking for an honest solution please visit the below given link .htmlhttp://aakriti-narula.blogspot.in/2013/08/15-basic-rules-to-fitness.html

Sunday 17 November 2013

300 work out

If you are a fitness freak must follow 300 workout at least once a week and those who are not can still follow ther's no no harm on the contrary it loosens up the body . I follow it  once a week along with my regular regime and believe me it works ! t not only breaks the monotony but is an effective work out for all parts of the body . It requires 5 minute warm up before the start and rest of it takes about 40 minutes without a break between each exercise . To follow the steps please click the link given below.




http://aakriti-narula.blogspot.in/2013/09/300-workout.html?spref=tw300+work+out
Be Gorgeous: 300 workout http://aakriti-narula.blogspot.com/2013/09/300-workout.html?spref=tw

Saturday 16 November 2013

Be GORGEOUS

I take the pleasure to introduce Be Gorgeous http://aakriti-narula.blogspot.in/2013/08/about-moi.html a blog on makeup,fitness and fashion by Aakriti Narula , a model,  anchor and an actor  but above all my daughter  !

Well she is my daughter who is out to conquer the world . She  not only inspired me to blog but has been my critic too . It was an extremely emotional moment for me when she wrote her first blog almost a month ago , I know I should have shared it then but its never too late than never. Here I take the privilage to introduce and welcome her to the world of blogging !

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Hijras Now a Separate Gender

They will be referred to as Hijras in both English and Bangla



The word hijra a Hindustani word, was derived from the Arabic root hjr in its sense of "leaving one's tribe, and has been borrowed into Hindi. The Indian usage has traditionally been translated into English as "eunuch" or "hermaphrodite," where "the irregularity of the male genitalia is central to the definition." However, in general hijras are born with typically male physiology, only a few having been born with male intersex variations. Some Hijras undergo an initiation rite into the hijra community called nirwaan, which refers to the removal of penis, testicles and scrotum.


Since the late 20th century, some hijra activists and Western non-government organizations (NGOs) have been lobbying for official recognition of the hijra as a kind of "third sex" or "third gender," as neither man nor woman. Hijras have successfully gained this recognition in Bangladesh.





Hijrasa a third gender community, who are neither male nor female from now on will be considered as a separate gender in Bangladesh and will get priority for education and other rights.

There are currently 10,000 Hijras living in the country referring to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Welfare.in Bangladesh , which led the government to consider them as a separate gender alongside the existing male and female sexes.A historic decision made by the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 11.11.2013. The move came as the current government’s term draws to a close
Hijras are already enlisted as voters in Bangladesh. " Spelt with a j they will be referred as Hijras in both English and Bangla language. Any other translations in English is misleading," was mentioned by the cabinet secretary said.

Irrespective of any difference if every life form is looked as equal all these differences will just be washed out of the society has been conditioned. No doubt it takes time for conditioning of the minds but society is nothing but us.When we start to think in broader way without commenting about anything automatically , things change from the way tthey are being looked at .To conclude Bangldesh has done it India needs to do it too

 "
photo credits google image search result

,

Lull Before The Storm

Another one from " Deep In My Heart " My poetry blog






 Some times silence speaks more than words ,  please click on the below given link to read on....



http://alkanarula.blogspot.in/2013/10/lull-before-storm.html

Monday 11 November 2013

पैमाने

After a long time an attempt in Hindi




मेरे होंठों से
मेरी आंखों से पी ले ज़ारा
कहने को तो यह ज़हर है
मगर है यह खरा

मेरे  लबों  की यह लाली
मेरे गालों की यह सुर्खी है मद से भरी
आंखों में जो नमी है
वोह खस तेरे लिये है बनी

यह जो जाम छलक रहे हैं
इतमीनान में ना रहें हैं
पी कर ईन को समझ पाओ गए
कहां से आ रही है यह मैख़ाने की हवा

कहने को यह मेरा दिल  है
मगर यह जादूगर है
जो थोड़ा बहक गया तो यह रस का अंबर है  
पी ली तूने जो इस मैख़ाने में आज


फिर ना रह पाओ गए ( sp mistake )
यून ही बहक जाओ गए (sp mistake )
जब भी सोचो गए ( sp mistake )
छलकते पैमाने की बात

Life

A guest post by  sonnika kapoor , a  friend of mine  who shared some wonderful thought with me and I thought of sharing them with you all





Sometimes I think that it is time we shrink our world to the old ways.It was so plain,simple,and natural then.Love meant love.in words and action alike.The love for brother,sister,mother,father,child and friends was genuine.it came from the heart.What we name it as sacrifice now was just a way to show love then.it never was understood as doing something extra.it was just understood as being loved.It was effortless.We played and laughed and it was hearty.we enjoyed it.laughter was never a cautious outcome with regards to the surrounding.You really laughed.woman dressed for her man.man came home yearning to see her.Children really waited for the father to return.So he could take them out.The wait was honest and the yearning lasted through day to dusk.Time was not on a wall as a reminder to turn schedules 
around.Time was for each one of us.To live.To live every moment in all its originality with all that we had for what it meant.The aroma from the kitchen gave us the Hunger pangs! We were really Hungry then. The food we relished.It tasted good everyday.No stickers on nutrition hung on the refrigerators.everybody ate the same Meal.How we waited for Sundays.It felt like a Sunday Sun rising in the morning.The Sunday Morning Air smelt different.It had a different excitement loaded with Fun n frolicking for the whole day.Everybody in the family stayed together.no mum salon or dads day with friends out.no children were out gaming at friends .Everybody stuck together.after all it was Sunday.one day after the whole week to find time together.We'd pack up for a picnic or a day of fun n sports with father n his friends.Their children are still my friends.I am sure they know what it meant.I guess Beer must be better then,because everybody who drank rocked the chair under the shade with his feet up and laughed.I saw that and i want to feel it now. 

 How difficult it seems now to get everybody together like that.Its no fun to be home on Sunday is anymore.its no fun eating.as we eat too much everywhere.I think we don't even know love.How to love and be loved .we don't know whether we are loved or are we being loved back.This whole life has drifted like a leaves off its bark.The twigs I wonder where stay drifted.But like each traveller one day returns home.I feel we all will.For how long can one travel without the shade of love we call home. We are missing so much.We must want it all back.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Above the Law

Until I re link my poetry blog " Deep In My Heart "  with Indi blogger one can read me here please s click on the link to continue , Sorry for the inconvenience caused if any 






 http://alkanarula.blogspot.in/2013/10/above-his-law.html#.Un-mF3DTx7k

Sunday 6 October 2013

alkanarula.com domain name on sale


is a Premium Domain Name and is available for Rs. 66,666.67*
Need help? Call us 24/7 at (480) 366-3343

It has been long when I penned a few words , for I felt conned by Google and that upset me to the extent that I was unable to concentrate neither on my work nor on my blogs.For several days I was denied access to my website as and when it reached renewal stage, I really don't have the count of mails I must have exchanged with Godaddy and Google Help Centre but all in vain as my password was not accepted and the end  result the directions they gave me became null and my blog got in to redemption period. After endless communication on emails I was left with no choice but to call up Godaddy who informed me that  my domain has been sold by Google before the redemption period and the only help they can extend is to request Google who can negotiate with the buyer for which the Google will charge me 70 dollars.And it was also confirmed by Godaddy that I could not sue Google as they have a right to sell (which they normally don't do ) and is mentioned in the terms of agreement which I probably never read .For few days I was in several minds whether to give up or register a new domain  and then they added fuel to fury by putting up http://www.alkanarula.com( domain name ) on sale for INR66,666.67*  well the game plan is clear if i am desperate  I ill buy it back for that amt which is a thousand times more than the actual price .  Finally I  decided to go for a new domain name and pay atleast for 5 years along with web developer and auto mode terms of payment which is going o cost me the same .

Crowns for Sale

Recently I participated in a beauty pageant " Mrs India Worldwide like most of the matches this one seemed  fixed  too , a bitter experience for those who went back empty handed despite being a deserving candidates.  All those aspiring models or young girls wanting to participate in a beauty pageant must go through the details before taking a plunge into it. For me and for that matter for most of us a beauty pageant means beauty with brains but this one was with a difference , neither one needed the beauty nor the brains to be a winner and it became evident from the way the crowns and titles were conferred on non deserving candidates. In fact after coming back home I warned my daughter( who is eligible to participate) to drop the idea   unless and until I have he money to buy a crown . I am a well established business woman ,successful and accomplished  with many feathers in my hat .I  was also a cover girl for Women's Era magazine , a feature model who has tasted success . Crown  was the least  that I had on my mind when I went for it but I wanted do kill my crave for not having been able to participate in one in my young age How many women in 50's have the courage  to compete with girls in 20's that too in a beauty pageant but that's  me. And I did not come empty hands , the only probable reason could be that I was a very strong and deserving contestant  they could have deprived me of one or two or may be three titles but  had they deprived me of all their intentions would have been questioned by me , by a woman who knows how to stand for not only her own rights but for the others rights too. So I can say it was their need to silence me .

A girl Resica Naicker  who claimed to have won Mrs South Africa ( Though her name is not there in the list of Mrs South Africa since  1956 to 2013 in wikipedia plz click to check)  )And it was not only her even the organisers stood in  support of her claims.  Well she  neither had the body or the body language nor did she know that not only one  is not supposed to wear open toed shoes on ramp but there is also negative marking for that ,To top it up she does not have an Indian Passport where as it was mandatory in the contract . 

She  came to India to represent South Africa and flew down not only along with  her company CEO  but  also  the CEO's entire family joined her to stay in  the same hotel where we were lodged in . As per my knowledge neither any of the family member nor friends of contestants are allowed to meet or see them during the grooming session. But four people flying down from South Africa only pointed out " She  knows she is the winner"
                                                        RESICA NAICKER

      
 1  Resica  Naicker 37 with visible flab all around  her body , I should rather say quite masculine  was crowned the winner . A teacher by profession who was also conferred with titles Mrs Beautiful Eyes despite the fact she wore  grey contacts , without those contacts she didn't have the eyes to flaunt , yet she was allowed to wear them on where as in any beauty pageant the first thing the contestants are made to remove are the coloured contacts and hair extensions .
   

 2 A teacher who does not have a  Doctorate degree nor any of us got to have a glimpse of intellectual side  of hers was also conferred with Mrs Intellectual   where as DR Diana Grover  who is an E N T specialist , a  pretty face , who is in good shape went back without a single title though Docs are known to be intellects and that. is an established fact

                                                          ALKA JAWLA

First runner up Alka Jawla 27  who from the day one behaved like a self acclaimed winner who got all the importance by the choreographer( probably he had the list of the ones who were fixed) .She led the ramp walk , dance sequence and had I not put my foot down
 she would have also  lead the gown sequence  ( will share the details how I bagged the show stopper gown in my next post) . Though she denied but she was definitely groomed  at a finishing school.(but all is fair in love and war) . An average looking IT professional who lacked the panache ,And above all she not being a mother did not qualify the participation criteria.

 Like Rescia  , Alka Jawla too was not aware of foremost rules of the ramp a big NO NO to open toes butt it did not result in to  -ve marking for either of  them and she was conferred with Mrs Catwalk ,which she truly truly deserved.She was slim but with dis-proportionate thighs and was also conferred with Mrs beautiful body I wonder how did the jury get o see her beautiful body when she did not show up her body in the  Bikini round   ! And Alka Narula (that's me) who at 50 had a well contoured ,sensual ,spotless ,all curves in right places was deprived of the "Mrs Beautiful Body " .Though the fitness trainer did mention  her  name after their eyes locked  while giving away the Title I wonder whether it was her guilt or something else that made her comment " Alka Narula was another strong contestant for this title but may be she will do better next time " Those words came from the horses mouth only after the  anchor asked  to make a guess and the only name spelt out by most of  the contestants was "Alka Narula"
Below is my pic for _ Ms  Beautiful Body " comparison 

ALKA NARULA


The second runner up again a N R I Bhavya Gehlot who spoke well but had too broad a butt that almost seemed like that of an -X, she had the body language but was too huge for a woman , in fact has loose fat all over her body. I can't say about the viewers but for me it was quite a repelling sight . Yes , certainly if she could lose weight she may look good on ramp , neither could I see a deserving body nor could I see much of her brains but  arrogance a big YES YES. As per organisers 60% of the marks were given by the organisers  for good conduct on day to day basis but this girl was one of the notorious gang who comprised of all NR Is (except Resica who was too good to be true probably she knew it from before she came to India or probably she played her cards sensibly )and few who had come from finishing schools .
                                                   

                                  BHAVYA  GEHLOT

So was the story of top three . I will be sharing the titles  those went wrong in my next post.
        Disclaimer-
*** Pls note that my intention is not to discourage any one from participate in Beauty pageant but apart from warning it its an advice to go through finishing schools as they are the negotiators between the organisers and the participants  also must scan the background of the organisers and go ahead only if they have a good reputation .
 
*** Pls note this post is completely based on my experience  & my personal opinion
     Its  not meant to hurt or harm  any body's feelings or image.
Photo Credits - google image search result 

Sunday 1 September 2013

"Justice for rape survivors "

Please click on the link and join the cause
https://www.facebook.com/events/506327839451692/




"One more pedantic and "follow the law blindly type judgement has come and the young criminal in Delhi rape case has been sent to child reform home as a punishment for his heinous crimes.


Any crime of such nature is a crime of uncontrolled hormones. This lower court judge got confused between a person and his uncontrolled hormones.We have 2 interesting case wherein two persons, one a juvenile and another an old man of 74 committing same type of crime. Its idiotic to attribute such type of crimes to age.

But you need extra ordinary wisdom and insight to rise above the rest,but this lower court judge is no such type " - Rana Raj K Singh , Attorney at Supreme Court of India


And do we sit and watch silently ?? What baffles me more than any thing else why are our parliamentarians quiet , if they make amendments in Supreme Court ruling in R P I act
recently why not Juvenile Justice Act .Here I appeal to the blogger community who feel stricter laws need to be introduced in juvenile justice act 
Photo credits Google image search results



Saturday 18 May 2013

डोर (DOAR)


[ JLT :) ] Just like that .....




जरा सूनो तो
रुक कर चलो तो
 मेरी आंखों में डूब कर कहो तो
 मैं हुं तुम्हरे दिल की परी

 सहमे से कियुन हो
 नज़्रेन  चुरा कर
 मुंह यूँ छुपा कर
 कियुन यूँ चल दीये जैसे यह नज़्रेन कभि मिली थी ही नहीं

 बेजान यह सान्सेन
 कुछ कहना यह चाहें
 मगर मेरे दिल को बहलIए
 कहतीं है मुझ से
कियुन चल दी थी तुम उस की गली

बेख़बर थी मैं तो
दे बैठी अपना दिल तुम को
कह देते जो तुम मुझ को
तेरी रंगत  ही  नहीं है
जो कह सकूं मैं तुझे मेरे दिल की परी

 मेरा दिल उस को ही चाहे
जो मुझ से लिपटी पड़ी है
मेरी बहों में खड़ी है
जिस की रंगीन निगाहें कभि चाह कर भी मुझ से दूर न हो  पायें
 जिस की हर साणस है मेरे करीब

तुम थोड़ा झुको  तो
 मुड़ कर  देखो तो
वह  जलपरी तो  है  मुझ से बंधी  है
 तुम जिस डोर को पकड़े खड़ी हो कमज़ोर  है हर एक  उस की कड़ी

 क्या कहुं मैं
 कैसे करूँ मैं  दिल अपना  काबू
 यह कैसी मझधार है
 जिस का  न कोई  छोर है
 न कोई टोड  है
 न मैं बह पाऊँ
 न  मैं डूब पाऊँ
 उस में जो अपनी ही आंखों से झलकी है  फूलझरी


zara suno toe
ruk kar chalo toe
meri aankhon mein doob kar kaho toe
keh kar toe dekho
min hoon tumhare dil ki pari

samhe se kiyun hoe
nazren chura kar
munh youn chupa kar
kiyun youn chal diye
jaise yeh nazren kabhi mili thi hi nahin

bejaan yeh saansen
kuch kehna yeh chahen
magar muskura kar
mere dil ko ruhen
kahti hain mujh se
kiyun chal di thi tum us ki gali

bekhbar thi main toe
jo de baithe apnaa dil tum ko
keh dete joe mujh ko
teri rangat hi nahi hai
joe main bulaoon mere dil ki pari


mera dil us koe chahe
joe mujh se lipti hai
meri bahon mein khadi hai
us ki rangeen nighen
mera dil us ko chahe
wohi toe hai meri dil ki pari

tum thoda juko toe
mud kar toe dekho
woh jal pari hai mujh se bandhiवह
tum jis door se tum mujh se bandhi hoe
kamzor hai woh , uski her kadi



Sunday 14 April 2013

Life ( captured on paper by a student )

There is abundance of talent on our streets , most of it goes ignored either due to lack of resource or ignorance  and only few are able to come forth and share it with the world .  It must have been 1 a.m when I landed in Chandigarh and my eyes couldn't have missed those busy fingers trying to capture life of a porter in deep sleep at the bus stand . For him it's an every day routine to spend few hours at the bus stand and capture life on paper but for me it was an overwhelming experience to flip through his art book and click some pictures.
                                         








                                     

                   


.




Wednesday 29 August 2012

In defence of Rama

Once again we  have Suresh ( http://www.jambudweepam.blogspot.in ) as a guest blogger on random. A little longer than a usual post , I did have a choice to post it in two parts but it would have lost its essence  and here it goes " In defence of Rama "

                                                 




It is ironic that the only Puranic male character who has some claims towards striking a blow for male-female equality is the one character that needs defending against accusations of Male chauvinism. In an era where chastity was imposed only on women and born to a man who was well-known for the multiplicity of his marriages, Ram is the only character who accepted and lived by the idea that chastity was as applicable to men as to women.

Three major accusations are raised against Ram. Firstly that Sita had to follow him to the forest; secondly the Agni-Pariksha and lastly the abandonment of Sita when a Dhobi took exception to Ram taking back Sita after her long incarceration by Ravan. Lots of ridicule has been heaped on Ram - for the last two in particular – and, largely because feminists seem to have swallowed – hook, line and sinker - the spin put on these acts by male chauvinists of later days.


There is another male character that followed Ram to the forest – Lakshman. He was also married and, yet, his wife Urmila is not the subject of any diatribe for not having lived up to her wifely duties. Even though it was at Lakshman’s behest, if Society had thought of this as a wifely duty, there would have been a hue and cry about this fact. The fact remains that (a) there was no duty imposed on the wife to follow her husband like Mary’s little lamb (b) It was Sita who insisted on following Ram to the forest because she loved him too much to stand the separation and (c) Ram dissuades her from following him citing the hardships that she would have to face but is unable to sway her.

So, when a husband of today seeks that his wife follows him wherever he went a la Sita, the proper retort is that, “If you were Ram, I’d love you like Sita and follow you. But if you were Ram, you would love me enough not to ask me to follow you into hardship!” Unfortunately, the standard reaction is to heap ridicule on Ram!

The one thing that is discounted when it comes to the other two incidents is that Ram loved Sita. He goes mad with grief when Sita is abducted. When, on the battlefield, a Maya Sita is slaughtered he drops his weapons and feels that pursuing the battle further is pointless. That, in fact, gives the lie to the statement he makes before the Agnipariksha about fighting the battle only for his honor. If it is difficult to swallow the idea of a man loving his wife, think then of the fact that Ram never remarried after putting Sita aside and lived a life of chastity till the end.

Ram was not only a husband. Ever since Bharat met him at Chtrakoot, he knew he was to be the King. The King was expected to be an upholder of Social values – no matter how unjust they may be for order is better than anarchy – and if he is seen to have bent the rules for his own benefit he leads to anarchy. “Yata Raja Tatha Praja” as the saying goes!



To have accepted Sita without a qualm would have lead to people in his country considering that the King did not respect the rules by which Society abided. Further, for a man who had practically just got off the chariot of the King of the Gods, it need not be difficult to believe that the God of Fire would not harm his beloved since she was chaste.

Much is also said of the way Ram abandoned Sita merely because a dhobi told his wife, “I am not Ram to accept a wife who lived in another man’s house”, especially with reference to the fact that Sita had already proved her chastity by going through fire. Again, the decision was not based on what Ram thought of Sita or what he would have preferred to do. If one were to assume the fact that he loved Sita to distraction, he would have loved to have his children born in his palace and lived around him or, even, that he would have preferred not to live in total abstinence, it would be easy to understand that his own preference would have been to ignore the dhobi. What, then, caused him to set aside his beloved wife?

In an era of no you-tube, no TV, no Facebook ot Twitter, the people of Ayodhya could not know of the Agnipariksha except through the words of people close to Ram. In any case against the powerful, proof positive would be difficult to obtain to prove a person guilty. The rulers of then were expected to live by a harsher standard of justice and accusation was considered sufficient for punishment – the “Caesar’s wife has to be above suspicion” phenomenon. In the event that Ram had ignored the dhobi, it is not difficult to see how the people of Ayodhya may have considered Sita as less than chaste over a period of time and started citing that as an example for their own transgressions of the law.

It was Ram the king who had to decide to put off Sita much against Ram the husband’s preferences. He lived by the law that the ruler has to put the good of Society above his own personal loss. If that is difficult to swallow as an explanation, consider the fact that he had to later sentence his beloved younger brother – Lakshman – to death for transgressing an order under unavoidable circumstances. If, indeed, one had to think of Ram as unfeeling it is nonetheless true that he was no male chauvinist – after all Lakshman was not female.

We live in times when it is considered acceptable that people in power use their power to save their kith and kin from the results of their own transgressions and, thus, find it difficult to understand why a ruler could punish his kin – when he knew they were innocent. The idea that Society suffers a moral malaise if the ruler is even thought to have set his own preferences above the law has, unfortunately, become totally alien to us.

Accusing Ram of chauvinism is not only unjust, it is unproductive as well. Our Society is still largely composed of people who revere Ram as God incarnate. By accepting the male chauvinistic spin on his actions and heaping ridicule on him we only preach to the already convinced. It is best to propagate his sense of male-female equality and his attitude towards the duties of a ruler, as indeed was probably intended by the writers of the Puranas.








photo credit google search

Tuesday 17 July 2012

beeghi beeghi palken

भीगी भीगी पलकें
यह रात अजब सी
कियूं मेरा दिल रोने लगा है
कैसी यह मझधार
मुझे काया हुआ है
आँखों में मेरे
यह कैसी नमी है
दिल की धड्क्दं भी
कुछ थम सी गयी है
भला यह कैसी हवा चली है
तेरे साँसों की खुशबू
कहाँ खो गयी है
कहाँ तुझ को दूंडून
कैसे कहूं मैं
मेरे दिल  का हाल


copy right (c) alka narula
photo credit lifeofmuslim.com

Monday 16 July 2012

akele

my attempt to write a musical short story



यौन ही चली थी रास्ता नया था
समझी नयी मैं
काफिला नया था
रस्ते में एक मुसाफिर नया था
आँखों में उस के मेरा नाम लिखा था
बाँहों में ले कर कहने लगा वोह
तुम एक पारी हो मेरे लिए बनी हो
उस की साँसों की महक में खो गयी मैं
मेरी आँखों की नमी हवा हो गयी एक पल में
उड़ने लगी मैं एक पतंग बन गयी मैं
उस की बाँहों में गुहल कर खो गयी मैं
कुछ पल के लिए पारी बन गयी मैं
बिजली जो कोंढ़ी थर्थार्हत हुई जो
मेरी पाजेब की रन झुन खो गयी एक पल में
मेरी होंठों की मुस्कराहट रोंद गयी एक पल में
न कोई मुसाफिर न काफिला था
रास्ता मेरा काँटों भरा था
हर तरफ धुआं धुआं था
चल पड़ी मैं अकेले
खो गयी मैं धुंए में
मेरी आँखों की नमी लोट आये एक पल में

copy right (c)alka narula
photo crdit graphicsleftovers.com

Wednesday 4 July 2012

DOES SUFFERING NEGATE THE EXISTENCE OF COMPASSIONATE GOD


Today i have the pleasure to have Suresh as a guest blogger on random.Though he needs no introduction as his writing speaks for him still i would like to give you a brief introduction,Suresh is a a chemical engineer, purely on the strength of a certificate, and IIM-B finance MBA – both by certificate and expertise. Having worked for 16 years in the area of fertilizer subsidies and policy-making and consulted for a couple of years thereafter he is now the master of his own time. He started trekking at 44 and is now addicted. Books, music, trekking, travel and, now, blogging have ensured that his life is far more interesting than climbing the corporate ladder would ever have been.To read more visit http://www.jambudweepam.blogspot.in/
Thank you Suresh for being my guest and for this lovely post.

When my mother was semi-paralyzed because of metastasizing cancer, it was inevitable that thoughts of how a Compassionate God could cause such distress to a person, who had never in thought, word or deed hurt anyone. It is a common phenomenon that when you see the innocent, the naïve and the good in distress, you start questioning the existence of God or, at least, his compassion.
Those, who believe in God, certainly say piously that the ways of God are unfathomable. Inevitably, however, they attempt to fathom them in every significant incident of their lives. The unquestioning belief that ought to exist in the face of something beyond your understanding somehow eludes our rational selves. We can believe that imaginary numbers exist, even though the very name places them in the realm of the unfathomable, merely because we call it mathematics – which is seen as the epitome of rationality. But God, somehow, is seen as merely a human with superhuman powers and, thus, His actions are seen as something that ought to be subjected to rational human analysis.
Almost all religions exalt the character of a person. Consider a world where there is no want – physical, social or emotional. Would you find a person coveting something that is not his? Consider a world where there are no negative consequences to any action? Would dishonesty be at all necessary in such a world? Would courage? Consider a world where there is no unrequited lust. Would you find rapists or eve-teasers in such a world?
All the virtues that we exalt are necessary only in a world that has pain in addition to pleasure. Good character is worthy of respect only when the concerned person upholds it in the face of adversity. In fact, adversity is the crucible in which a person’s character sheds its dross and turns pure gold – or, of course, sheds the gold and turns pure dross! The true measure of a person can only be known – even by himself – in the way he reacts to untoward incidents in his life.
If you think of joy and sorrow as necessary to test and/or establish a person’s character, then you could conceivably think of the world as a testing ground where souls are adjudged by God. Given that there is a plausible reason for why God permits suffering, the existence of sorrow – of whatever intensity and inflicted on whichever soul – does not necessarily negate the existence of God.
Going strictly by the above measure one may think of God as being present but does it also give reason to think that He is compassionate? Not necessarily! God, as in the above rationale, is a stern Judge but not necessarily a compassionate Father. We shall have to seek elsewhere for reasons to believe in His compassion.
 * * * * * *
I need to reiterate that the ways of God must necessarily be considered unfathomable. When we talk of the Creator of the Universe it would be presumptuous to assume the capability to read His mind. I seek to postulate His reasons for what happens in the world around us merely because we seem incapable of resting content in the unwavering belief that He knows best. Cries of ‘Irrational belief’ and ‘Blind faith’ – in our own minds, if nowhere else - can only be silenced by advancing a plausible theory, however unproven and however far from the Truth.
The theory of ‘Prarabda Karma’ advances the idea that the suffering in the life that we lead is a consequence of our actions of previous lives. Thus, it is not God who inflicts suffering on us but we, ourselves, who have caused the suffering. In this case, those whom we see as naïve, innocent or good are expiating the sins of a past life when they may not have been naïve, innocent or good. This, theory, nonetheless leaves the question open as to whether God, in His infinite compassion, could not have pardoned the sins of the past and averted the suffering.
Think of a tribal child with a hole in the heart being operated upon by a cardiac surgeon. Think then of her parents being totally unaware about modern medical practices (if second grade Bollywood movies can think that tribals still exist who think of a matchbox as a miracle, it should not be such a great feat of imagination for you!). The parents are likely to view the surgeon as a sadistic monster, who cuts open little girls for his illicit pleasure when the surgeon, of course, is inflicting some pain (at least post-operative) in order to avert greater distress later.
The philosophy of Advaita thinks of all souls as part of God – or Brahman as it calls it. Achieving oneness with God is the sole reason why the dross needs be burnt off the soul. If one can conceive of the fact that the separation from such Oneness is a source of infinite distress to the soul, it is easy to understand why God permits human distress as a means of ending such separation. Like the surgeon in the example, God may permit the infliction of a relatively minor pain in order to ameliorate the greater one.
If, with all the limitations of the human senses and intellect, one can find a plausible reason for the existence of distress in the world, it should not be difficult to believe that an infinitely Compassionate God may have reason for permitting worldly distress.
In the end, the only path to God is one of unwavering Faith!

Saturday 23 June 2012

THE COUNT DOWN HAS JUST BEGUN

   Before I share the secret , let me share other secrets .I woulnt have been able to write this post had   Shamsud not sent  a mail asking me to contribute to the book that he was planning  to publish soon.WOW an established poet like Shams asking me for a contribution meant I must be good at my work to have a place among   5 more senior poets who certainly need no introduction , their work speaks for them and they are Saru Singal, Amit Aag , Ajay Dudeja , Jass C Scott  Sohail Akhtar . Till  then I just wrote and wrote till I dropped . Writing has been a passion for me , though I never got any negative comments but positive comments made me even more nervous  I often wondered "are they trying to keep my heart " But I did not give up and kept  writing and worked towards improving my writing skills .Dont want to keep you waiting , neither o i have the patience to wait any more......BECAUSE :))))
                                             
       

                             "   THE COUNT DOWN HAS JUST BEGUN "
                                              
                                       
                                        HMMMMMM  WELLLLLL
 It would be unfair on my part to  keep you waiting any more so here it goes...My poetry is getting published in the book  "Rousing Cadence " due for release on 27/07/2012 . In fact I shouldn't be calling  it a book but a collection of words in harmony with emotions , a collective effort by the rousing cadence team to  give a new dimension to the world of poetry. I seriously got butterflies in my stomach :))))))))))))


  MY HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM " ROUSING CADENCE "
                                                   Team Rousing Cadence!    
                                                           
                                      Photo: Team Rousing Cadence!
       (For more info click image to reach Rousing Cadence page on Face Book)             
                 
                  A SPECIAL THANKS TO SHAMSUD FOR MAKING IT HAPPEN
                                       THANK YOU cyberwit.net
                   A SPECIAL THANKS TO SEEMA SHARMA FOR THE ART WORK
         
AND A V  SPECIAL THANKS TO INDI BLOOGGER FOR GIVING US A PLATFORM TO SHARE OUR THOUGHTS AND CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER
AND OF COURSE  SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE BLOGGERS FOR GIVING ME SPACE IN THEIR WORLD AND MY READERS FOR ACCEPTING ME WITH FLAWS ,WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE !




photo credit photo bucket
                         

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