A Lost Path

Robert Frost once bravely ventured into the path less traveled, and it made all the difference. Lucky for him, he had only two paths to choose from. Try asking a 12th standard student about choosing the right path, not to mention the path less traveled! You'd be lucky to get away with a mere stare. In a country of a billion, is the path less traveled actually plausible? Well, even if it is, how many parents would actually endure it if their kids choose their own paths? The only path a lawyer's child would be allowed to pursue would be a path to the Supreme Court. The only path a doctor's child would be allowed to take up, would be to the Government Hospital. Well, almost all our ancestors were once farmers. Imagine how things would have been if they'd had it their way.

We all have our own interests, and it will be apt to endeavor a path in which we are interested in. "I'm doing this, because I have a passion for it" is what you would like to hear from your child, rather than – "I'm doing this, because my dad wanted me to". Let us be practical here. Just because the poor child has your eyes, and has a smile that resembles yours, doesn't mean that he/she will excel in your profession. Remember – Sachin Tendulkar's father never played cricket and my father never wrote articles.

When WAR is the only road to PEACE. . .

It’s not a secret anymore. Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism! The whole world knows it! Yet, we know it better than any other, because we’ve been at the receiving end of it all for too long now. I’m not too much of a war-mongering person, but there’s a limit for tolerance. We have given Pakistan all the respect that a neighbor deserves; we have been more than patient with them in a lot of aspects; we’ve given them enough evidence and enough chances. I think India has had enough of a friendship that was never meant to be. What happened on 26th November in Mumbai was completely over the line. Enough is enough. Now, it’s time to act. The issue isn’t about whether we need to impose war on Pakistan or not; the fact of the issue is, WAR is upon us!

When we talk of attacking Pakistan, what is essentially being implied is, attack on the terror-camps based in Pakistan. These terror camps are the cause of concern because they are the breeding grounds for terror all over the world, and in spite of world countries urging Pakistan to bring these camps down, Pakistan doesn’t seem to be taking any action. November 26th definitely demonstrated the extent of ease with which these organizations function within Pakistan. So, when we wage war on Pakistan, we will only target these terror camps. It’s not like we are going to go massacre innocent Pakistanis. (we’ll leave that to the terrorists)

Being a sovereign and secular nation, India has every right to defend itself against externalities. Almost 30% of our tax money goes into defense. At 2.5 million, Indian army is the second largest standing army in the world. What’s the point in spending so much if we are never going to make use of it? What happened on 26th November was an attack on India, not just on Mumbai. If we do not respond appropriately and immediately, we are undeniably being too soft on terror and in a way abetting it.

Post September 11, 2001, there hasn’t been a single terrorist attack on the US soil. The reason behind that -
War on Afghanistan, War on Iraq, USA made sure that all its enemies were dealt with. I don’t expect India to be as effective as the US. I admit, it is asking for too much, considering our politicians! All I ask for is some aggressive intent.

Around 2000 people were killed in the WTC attacks. Actions taken by US after the attacks changed the way the entire world looked at terror. We have tens of thousands of our Indians dying every year because of terrorism in various forms. It has been happening almost without respite for the past thirty years. What have we ever done about it? Have we even remotely endeavored to do anything aggressive? If that’s the kind of approach we are going to have, then it is indeed of no surprise that external forces annihilate us. They know we will not act effectively, and thus keep up their relentless attack on us. Every single time an attack is successful, it only makes them stronger. If we need an everlasting solution to this; if we are going to make India a safe place for our future generations, then, WAR is the only option.

It’s really surprising that some people actually expect India and Pakistan to have a harmonious co existence. Yea right!! Just imagine: We’ll probably end up having RDX for breakfast or have school kids playing catch with hand grenades. Let us face the ultimate – India and Pakistan were never friends to begin with, and can never be. If we had been friends, the split would never have happened. We would have been a single nation today.

Some intellectual pundits claim that war isn’t going to change anything; it’s only going to worsen things; we need to look at other peaceful means, and that we need to be united as a country to solve this problem, so on and so forth.

Well, firstly, aren’t things already in a bad state?
Secondly, what’s going to happen if we do unite?
Well yes, it would indeed be a picturesque moment. We can light candles, bring out banners with patriotic statements, raise slogans, stand together as one nation and sing our national anthem. Undoubtedly awe inspiring. However, envision what would happen if someone in the crowd shouts out - “there’s a terrorist here!!” ?
I’m pretty sure every single person in that gathering would run for his life, helter-skelter, and trust me, national unity would be the last thing on his mind. No offense, I’m just trying to be a little practical here. I do agree that people coming together and expressing their views is a wonderful sight, and it does go a long way. But what are we trying to achieve here? If we are under the impression that we are fighting terror by doing all this, then I’m sorry to say, we’re just wasting our time. Let’s talk a little sense. We’re talking about men with AK-47 rifles and hand grenades. They are trained to kill. I seriously don’t see how mass gathering or expression of unity is going to stop them, or their AK-47’s from functioning.

We need to fight fire with fire. We need to hit them, and we need to hit them hard. India has to make a strong statement. Let our enemies know that we are not going to sit back and watch all their atrocities continue. We have to remind them that we have weapons too, instill fear in them, the same fear that is haunting a billion lives today. Let’s make this, the moment of justice. We shall stand united behind our brave soldiers, who are well and truly our only beacon now, not with banners or candles, but with a strong message of love and unity.

When war is the only road to peace, we do not have an option. If we don’t act now, perhaps, we never will be able to. This is our only chance. Let us make this count – for you, for me, for the tens and thousands who have been victim of terror, for all our unsung heroes who’ve sacrificed their lives for us and last but not the least, a nation that has had enough of blood shed on its soil. Let us make this INDIA’S WAR ON TERROR. Let us send a strong message across to all those people who still think India is a soft nation. Let the world know that India is a nation that always craves for peace, but can also get aggressive when provoked. Let them know that India is not only the land of Mahatma Gandhi; but is also the land of Subhas Chandra Bose. Jai hind!

A PERFECT MORNING

DISCLAIMER: All the actions involved in this article are performed by a highly skilled individual with years of experience. So please DO NOT try these at college or at work place or anywhere else, as it could result in serious Mental or physical injuries.



Its 6:45 in the morning already; And I have exactly 15 minutes to get myself out of bed, get ready and board the college bus. An exceedingly punctual driver, with an exceptionally sharp watch, unfortunately, leaves me with very little margin for error; which means each and every action of mine should be completely immaculate and planned to perfection. Even dropping the toothbrush for a second could be 'fatal'. So, fighting against all odds, I get out of bed and with bloated determination, begin my race against time. I'm not describing the next 15 minutes that follows; I'm sure there would be 'kids' and 'heart patients' reading this and I do not wish to account for any mental damage.


Its 7:00 AM and I find myself running along the East Coast Road with my bag attached to my shoulder, ID card on one hand and wallet on the other. I'm about 50 meters away from the bus now, and at exactly this point I can see the wheels of the bus slowly starting to move. A very familiar sight indeed! I wave my hands frantically at the driver. It's a way of saying – "I'm coming, I'm coming!!...hold on!!" I sprint to cover the rest of the distance and finally I'm there! The driver looks at me, looks at his watch and then looks at me again. I ignore him and board the bus. Now I find myself standing inside a jam packed bus. No empty seats! Hardly any place to even stand. Guess there are apparently a lot of people who wake up a lot earlier than I do. Still breathing hard from my 50 meter sprint, I try my best to balance myself in the moving bus, and struggle my way through the crowd slowly towards my friend who is comfortably settled near the window seat. He looks at me woefully and offers to hold my bag. After a great struggle, I remove my bag and place it on his lap.


It's a 30 minute ride to college and believe me, it's quite a ride! Our college drivers (who would surely give Michael Schumacher a run for his money) and our city roads make a wonderful combo! End result – Swashbuckling, adrenal pumping adventure. Sadly for me, in the middle of all the adventure, I felt my head hit something hard. The bus was so fully packed that I dint even have room to take my hands up and feel my head. The pain was excruciating. I was feeling helpless. I just close my eyes, and start counting. By the time I reached 600, I could sense the bus coming to a halt. Sound of footsteps confirming my conclusion. Yes! I've made it! And I've made it alive!


It's 7:30AM and I find myself struggling past the crowded college gates. My head doesn't hurt anymore! Class starts at 7:50 AM. I have exactly 20 minutes to finish my breakfast and submit my record (Yes! You guessed it. Today is the last day for submission!). For some reason, I decide that I would submit the record first and then have breakfast. I scramble across the huge crowd having breakfast near the entrance and walk as fast as I could towards the staff room. It is 7:40AM by the time I reach the department staff room; I enter the staff room, rush to my teacher's table, remove my bag and open it, only to find the record missing. Now I remember! It was on my computer table. I was supposed to have placed it my bag while leaving home. Just that I didn't.


It's 7:45AM. Heart broken, I try to put myself together and I leave the staff room. For some weird reason, my head starts to ache again. I rush to the place where they serve breakfast, only to find the man cleaning the vessels. Perfect! I turn back, rush to the water cooler and gulp down two whole glasses of water. I look at my watch; I have a minute. If I don't make it to class in a minute, I will have to stand out the whole hour. I take a couple of seconds, take a deep breath, gather all my energy and run. My class is located on the 2nd floor which means, I have to climb 2 floors running. Don't know where I got all my energy from, but I finally made it!


It's 7:50AM. With messy hair, tucked out shirt completely soaked with sweat and a heavy breath, I enter my class. Greeted by weird stares and subtle giggles, I make my way slowly towards the last row, where I sit (which by now you would have guessed!). I pull my chair, place my bag on the desk, get myself seated and take a huge sigh of relief. My friend sitting in front turns back, looks at me from top to bottom, yawns and says….

"Good morning!"

I smile back at him, and reply – "PERFECT MORNING!"

You've got to be KIDDING!

"When He can do it, why cant you?!"
– was the initial reaction of my friend's father when he came to know that his son only managed a mere 75 while his neighbor's son secured a 100. An average parent reading this would say, "Now what's wrong in that reaction?" well, that's precisely why I term them "average". No offence people. What if the kid questions back – "Dad, my friend's father just bought him a brand new BMW…when he can do it, why cant you?!" Poor kid would probably be spending the rest of the day crying in his room with a wounded cheek. We are all humans, and the basic laws of life apply to everyone. If it is OK for parents to compare their kid with another kid, then I guess kids can do the same too with their parents. Don't you think so? Just because the kid doesn't slap you back when you slap him/her, doesn't mean that he/she doesn't have any feelings.


Some people claim that God has blessed everyone with "equal amounts" of Brains. Well, Firstly, God isn't that jobless to weigh and make sure that every human is designed with equal amounts of brains. Secondly, Osama Bin Laden hasn't been captured yet. Thirdly, there was only one Albert Einstein. So, that unfortunately proves that God hasn't blessed us all with equal amounts of brains. Agreed? Fortunately though, god has blessed us all in his own ways. If Sachin Tendulkar wasn't blessed, then India wouldn't have a legendry cricketer today. If A.R.Rahman wasn't blessed, India wouldn't have a musical maestro today. If Mahatma Gandhi wasn't blessed, India wouldn't be an Independent country today.


Well, we are all blessed in one way or the other. Someone who doesn't do well in studies is not a failure in life by any stretch of imagination. We are all talented in our own ways. Forcing kids to do something they aren't interested in is an insult to the talent that they possess. No Kidding! Well, yes, education does play a vital role in ones life. But parents have to understand that there can be only ONE First rank holder in a class. Pushing kids beyond their capacity isn't going to do anyone any good. For all the parents reading this, your kid might very well be a "Sachin Tendulkar" or a "A.R.Rahman" in the making. It's just a question of identifying talents and nourishing them (Remember, Sachin Tendulkar wasn't born with a bat). Support and encouragement is all the kid expects from a parent. I'm not asking all you parents out there to dance to your kid's tunes. All I ask of you is to please be fair and treat your kids the way you would have liked to be treated when you were kids. Don't strive for respect. Earn it. Remember - What goes around, comes around. Well, I'm sure many parents out there would be cursing this article right now. I don't really blame them though. After all, God hasn't blessed us all with equal amounts of brains.