Two Strikes - You're Out!

I have come to believe that no matter how strongly we as Indians ask for our incompetent government to take action in many matters, we are basically talking to a brick wall. When a catastrophe happens and things go down super bad, then they assure us that justice will be served; "We will give you answers!" they tell us. And yet, nothing. Just as normal citizens go back to normal living, we are hit with another incident which does nothing but reassures us that yes, our government is incapable of providing us, tax-paying citizens, with a commodity as simple as security. Barely had the grueling memory of 26/11 faded from our minds when we were hit with another one to add to the batch of scars: Pune 13/2.

Granted the magnitude of the attack wasn't as great but this doesn't by any means indicate that it is okay. Not at all. In fact, if an attack this small cannot be prevented then I'm not sure what that says about the extent to which these "stateless actors" could harm the country. This time it was a small German Bakery which is located near the popular Osho Ashram and a local Jewish prayer house which are both, so I'm told, situated in a pretty happening part of Pune, Koregaon Park. Who knows where and what is next?

Who is to blame? Do we blame our government who we already know are incapable of anything. Or maybe we should blame the local police. Apparently, on the day of the attack, they were too busy patrolling around looking for Valentine's Day couples who chose to coochie-coo while the rest of the police were providing security to moviegoers who chose to defy the Shiv Sena and watch My Name is Khan. Does this mean we should blame Cupid and Karan Johar? Or maybe we should just blame ourselves. After all we should have known better right? We should have known that a simple local bakery is not the place to be on a Sunday evening as a terror strike was being planned.

If you're looking for answers, know this: you ain't getting any. The government will continue to provide you will cover ups, ways to demonstrate that they are working on it. They will let you know that Kasab's trial is being sped up and that David Headley is also being bought to justice. Mind you, it wasn't our Desi intelligence but the Americans who bought out the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks. But this isn't what we are asking for! We want answers. When will YOU, the government of India, provide US, the tax-paying citizens, with the following:
1) Adequate answers
2) Justice for our lost victims
3) Security
I mean is that too much to ask? Perhaps. I'm not blaming the country here but the rotten system.

Our politicians are in dire need of a reality check. Where is Raj and Bal Thackeray now? Hiding yet again huh? And what happened to you Rahul Gandhi? Perhaps now you should hop on the next train to Pune to see what exactly transpired. I'm thoroughly disappointed in Chidambaram. I cannot believe a man of his stature actually have the audacity to say that this incident is not a failure in intelligence. YES IT IS! A complete failure. If you cannot provide our local neighborhoods with enough protection, then you as a government are a failed one.

The entire situation is disgraceful. As citizens, this is the time to ask for justice. Lives were lost, people injured and yet again a nation hurt. The morale of India is constantly being challenged. How many times will we pick ourselves up? I'm sick of hearing the phrase, "We will not allow terrorism to affect us." Let's not pretend it doesn't. It does. This is the second strike. This isn't a baseball game where you're given three strikes. This is real life. Two strikes, you are definitely out.

K-Jo: Quit Goating Around!

Post Wake Up Sid, one can only expect better and less cheesy films from the usually gushy-mushy gunk that they usually throw at us. While Ayan Mukherji took Dharma Productions for a real sixer when he came out with a fresh script which kept it "real" and honest. No unrealistic romance or preachy K-Jo style love your family drama. Shortly after, K-Jo came out with Rensil D'Silva's Kurbaan; a story which claimed that "Some love stories have blood on them." Starring the real-life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the film was yet another chance for Dharma Productions to prove that they are in fact looking to venture out from the usual gunk into more realistic and hatke cinema. Out with the old, in with the new, here comes a new and improved K-Jo!

This is not a review, so no synopsis summary here. The basic premise is one filled with a love story and terrorism which is ultimately linked to one another. Okay here's the deal; Kurbaan is a completely average affair. In fact the screenplay is a complete disappointment especially when you learn that the director is the scriptwriter is behind the absolutely amazing Rang De Basanti. Filled with holes, the script lacks substance and even a POINT! While watching the film, I was waiting for the film to happen... and by God it never did. And it wasn't just the holes, the film is filled with stereotypes: all Muslims are terrorists; all terrorists are Muslim. In fact more than educate the audiences or even inform them of perhaps why terrorists do what they do, we were constantly reminded that the world is a complete mess: Iraq, Afghanistan et al. Hello! Do we really need a film to remind us of this? CNN does an apt job on a daily basis. I think that if you asked KJo what the film was trying to tell you, he would say that it was all about the chemistry between Saif and Kareena. Because honestly, the film has nothing to really talk about. Or at least nothing we don't already know about.

And yet, I found myself waiting for Kurbaan to happen...er what happened next was a mixed bag of nothing, zilch and a hint of zero. We go from a passionate love story to a wannabe terror-filled flick which honestly couldn't come out at a worst time; a week before the 26/11 anniversary. When you watch a film like Kurbaan you are bound to compare it to similar films and for some reason, most equate it to New York which although was much better than Kurbaan, too had its share of flaws. But if we had to pick a film that was related to terrorism, was relatable and actually made sense, then it was definitely A Wednesday. Kurbaan was absolutely GARBAGE compared to Neeraj Pandey's award winning film. Kurbaan is not worthy of any awards at all! And if it does manage to bag even ONE, it will be either bought by KJo or the awards were rigged.

That said - watch the film if you're a Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor or even Vivek Oberoi fan. The only reason to watch this film is for the actors who ultimately add some elan to an otherwise lifeless film. Kurbaan is a sacrifice of time, talent and even theatre space. And if I had the opportunity to speak with Karan Johar, I would say: KJo, spare us instead of sacrificing us - we are not GOATS!

Ugh Ugh Ugh

"Aggravation" is the word for today. All day I seem to be reading about the horrors of being human and I am now trying to understand how it is considered the highest state of living. It is said that you must work yourself up the chain from ant to human. In fact, believe it or not, according to Indian Vedas, a stone is the lowest form of life. That whole concept makes me question the existence of some people on this planet. How on earth did they manage to climb up the ladder from stone to human and yet be as stone-hearted or as ignorant as an ant? Okay, so why am I ranting and raving, screaming and shouting, venting and vocalizing. There are many reasons for my outburst.

First of all, I am an Obama-ian. Like the rest of the world, I think its fabulous that we have finally been able to move away from the usual White-folk and give the colored people to run a 'superpower.' Like the rest of the world, I too think, "Hey! Maybe he knows what to do with the current economic problems, terrorism issues, rotten medical and faltering education." So when I wake up on the morning of February 26th, 2009 morning and read the following headline, "US lines up billions for Pak, ignoring terror links" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Billions-of-US-aid-to-Pak-despite-terror-links/articleshow/4196591.cms) on Timesofindia.com, all I wanted to do was scream. I cannot believe that America is literally turning a blind eye to all the terror links that Pakistan is no doubt associated with, and giving them five billion dollars in aid. It's not as though America has the extra money anyway, so why on earth would they donate in "aid" tax-payer money to a country who will take the money and infiltrate it back into terror aka the Taliban. I'm sure the government, ISI and its terror counterparts are probably ecstatic at their new win and waiting to receive the aid so they can get down to planning some more attacks against the rest of the world.

And then I was even more disgusted when I read that more women in South India are being harassed by the same fanatical group, the Sri Ram Sena, that was previously torturing them in local pubs. They just don't get it. After all the humiliation, the Pink Chaddi campaign and the media literally lashing them out, you would think this group would finally close shop and go into hiding. But they just don't get it. And now, they are all about suing the Pink Chaddi Campaigners. Sue them for what? For exposing you? Oh get a life!

Talking about low lives, why is it that these people get to be humans when they should be a pebble on the ground? How is it, they seem to gain power and money only to misuse it? I've heard it all before. We need evil and hate in this world so we can understand love and peace. Then why is it that no one seems to get it? I'll probably keep pondering over these aspects of life and until them keep ughing and looking for ways to get it out of my system.

Photo Credit: mutiny.in