It's ME & YOU who need to act

There is no super man or Bat man gonna come to fight for good, It is YOU and ME who need to ACT

It has been ages since I updated this blog. I guess I have lost my interest and patience to sit and write things that inspire me. Well, hope to get it soon and get back soon writing...

Applies to all the developing countries

/*****Dr. Abdul Kalam's Letter to Every Indian******/

Why is the media here so negative?

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our

achievements?

We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?

We are the first in milk production.

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.

Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his d

esert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours..

YOU say that our government is inefficient.

YOU say that our laws are too old.

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.

YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand .. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan .. Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

-Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Perceptions and misconceptions around same gender marriage(homosexual) and LGBT rights

When we speak of marriage equality, many emotional reactions can be seen for and against LGBT rights & marriage equality; I thought of writing down few misconceptions and facts. I'm trying to see at this from a rational point of view rather than being biased (with religion, culture, faiths, etc) or conservative.

1. "Heterosexuality is Natural. Homosexuality is unnatural."
   
   Wrong opinion/belief. Scientifically speaking there are several mammals, birds, reptiles, etc show homosexual behaviour in Nature. I do not think they would have used internet and spoiled their mind or going with the trend. For further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior
   Still not convinced: may be you should consider living in cave and hunting because all that humans do are artificial and against nature. (Your car, house (concrete buildings), laptops, phones, etc)
   Nature proof is brought purely for sake of those who believe it is not natural. just because something is natural, you do not have do it. But what if you were born as a transgender and what if society does not accept you? What if society's database has only a Boolean value for gender, either male or female? What if your family throws you out in the fear of society and to avoid social stigmatization? What if you have face all these discrimination because of your birth and nature? Should not we change the social systems adapting them also part of society? Should we not build a society where every human and mammal can co-exist peacefully without being discriminated for things nature given them.
   
   Some are saying then should not we accept Bestiality(sex between inter species) too and allow man to have sex with animals. No! wrong for 2 reasons. First it is not natural condition. Scientifically no findings so far to prove it is natural condition. Second the individuals involved should be consensual. If you take man-animal scenario, animal never gave consent.
   
   
2. "This is a disease or abnormality. comes due to hormonal dysfunction or mental instability."
   
   Again a wrong opinion/belief. In medical science, there are no medicines for homosexual behaviour. It is never identified as a MEDICAL CONDITION. Rather it is identified as NATURAL CONDITION. Some are born with it, just like us are born heterosexual. Those who think medical science is not  advanced enough and they, themselves are more intelligence on this, please do a favour. Either do some research to prove and submit your paper to medical societies or consult a psychiatrist.
   
   
3. "If we legalize this, what if everyone turn into a gay/lesbian?"
   
   Just like I and You are born as heterosexual, they are born in such way. No one taught us get attracted to opposite gender. In the same way, they are attracted to same gender. Just because it is legalize will we be changing our sexual orientations? Never. Just like Carnivores never eat grass even if they are starving, Noone is going to change their sexuality. Just accepting them will let them to live peacefully with society and not being discriminated and oppressed.
   
   Just because we have accepted transgender/third gender, Has all the men and women changed their genders? Accepting them lets them live their life NORMAL just like any other human being. And what is the point of forcing him/her to marry opposite gender person, when they have interest on same gender? Won't the other person's life get spoiled?
   
   
   
   
   
4. "This is against my faith/god/religion"
   
   One faith had a clause "Slavery is natural condition". Another set of followers had a faith on cast systems and treated a segment of people as untouchables. Hasn't these all understood as wrong and discarded. Putting the wrong ideas and faiths behind and moving forward is what we did as humans . Isn't that what we call CIVILIZATION?
   
   I'm sure all the faiths/gods/religions would teach you be compassionate to fellow human beings and fellow living beings. Isn't it wrong if you discriminate a segment of people due to the gender or sexual orientation? When you discriminate, are you not failing by not following your faith?
   
   Still not convinced? Yes you are right. Being an environmentalist, it is my faith not to drive private vehicles which emit gases that destruct the environment. Being a vegan, it is my faith it is faith to kill animals for food since we have plenty of non-killing food options. etc. Should I impose all these to others or keep it to me?
   
   
5. "Even if homosexuals are accepted into social structure, they cant reproduce. So no point of legalizing same gender marriage, as it does not provide any output (offspring)"
   
   Man!, enough of this reproduction bullshit. Already we have 7.4 billion humans on this planet by so much of reproduction. and 0.783 billion do not have pure drinking water. 0.805 billion is suffering from extreme poverty. 2.5 billion do not have sanitary facilities. Isn't it alarming to you that human population alarmingly high and the earth struggling. Our resources are limited and it does not grow with the population. May be this is a Nature's way of controlling and telling us "humans! give it a break."
   
   Further, there are 153 million of kids who are orphan around the world. Heterosexual families have failed to adopt them. So why not the homosexual couple adopt them and complete their family.
   
   If the concept marriage is just all about legal way of producing offsprings, I guess it fails. Marriage is not legal certificate for having sex and reproduction. Rather I believe it is about companionship to another human being without limits.
   
   
6. "Allowing same gender marriage will make the current social structure a mess, It is dangerous as new unknown sexual disease will spread."
   
   Wrong. Just like heterosexual families, homosexual will have one-to-one rule. All the things like adultery, rape, non-consensual sex, exploitation will be considered as crimes and be punished by law. But how can this be possible without legally accepting their marriage or family? Mind you, it is just acceptance not forcing any of heterosexual person to change their orientation. If anyone forces, it is a crime too. This acceptance by law and society will enable them to live a normal life in society, that's all.
   
   When you don't accept it, only then it will happen behind the curtains and sexual diseases will start to spread as a result of unprotected sex. Just for example, take the countries which has legalized prostitution and which does not. Societies and governments which does not have legalize it faces the consequences of comparative high percentage of AIDS and other STDs. e.g.: India. When someone has AIDS, if he/she does not come forward to take treatment, he/she will be spreading to more people. When you as society stigmatize AIDS patients from society how can they come forward for treatment. They try to hide or cover up.

Any how, it is up to you to decide whether to accept it and adopt the changes in society, social structures and norms or be blind and live like they don't exist while all the bad consequences creep in steadily. 

Mission Impossible - 2010

Though this going to be a repost, I believe it's worth it. It has been ages since I post here. all these days I have spent more time on reading rather than writing anything here. Due to my past experiences, I have not made any Newyear's resolutions because they never get accomplished. However, I would give a try to write a post atleast once in a month.

Start of 2010 has brought new hopes as like every new year. This is not just a new year but start of a new decade too. New plans, New efforts, fresh starts and everything with momentum and fresh energy.

However, 2010 starts with fearful attacks, still extending war between nations, global warming, elections, other dangerous issues and especially on top, the financial crisis (though it is said to be reaching its end). So what are your plans for 2010?... Yes yes I’m asking you friend.

Mm.. oh.. all right, you have some plans. But have you not thought these big problems stand in front us. You may wonder why should I?..

Are you?... hey friend, think why not? You may be wondering who am I to solve all these world problems? I’m simply no one, do not have any special powers.

Yes you are “The One” chosen by world to solve these problems just like “Neo” in Matrix. Believe in that. You can do it. This should be yours 2010's RESOLUTION (promise you make).

Yes you are no one. No one will know you(that's basically an advantage for you because media won't be spying on each step you make, so called intelligents wont criticise on whatever you do), but still you are gonna solve the problems of the world because you are the chosen One. If Hussain Bolt can make it in 9 seconds, If Barack Obama can make a change in powerful nation of the world, If Michael Phelps can win 8 gold medals at Olympic, if some one in the corner of the world can, why not you.

What you need is determination. Commitment and not giving up attitude will lead you save the world. You may be starting with small thing, a small change like just by reducing using the internet by that electricity or may be reducing (reusing) the polythene and progressing your efforts by asking your family and friends to make the change and soon inspiring all your mates and co workers to change for good.

Yes always think why not and now you are in a mission, A mission make you worth of living in the world. You are the chosen one to save world, the poor, the human, the nature and everything around you. Believe in that and start progressing. Hope to see a better world at the end of 2010 whether you and me are alive or not. It does not whether you win or loose, but it all matters at the end is how well you tried.

By the way, I did not forget about the new year. I wish you all peaceful New Year and may your hard efforts come true success. and I'll pray for you for your mission in this 2010. :)