Open Letter to a "madrasan"

Just came across a blog where the author has given her viewpoint on “Delhi boys” and “Punjabis”. A friend of mine suggested that I write about my own experiences in South, where I have been for the last 3 months but will that solve a purpose?


The writer in question has wrote a brilliant piece of writing if you consider how much it got read or how much it is being shared on facebook. May be that was the motive.

She has made a lot of poignant points like Punjabis’ obsession towards Punjabi music, our love for SUVs and blah blah. Is she right? Hell yea she is.

As a proud Punjabi, I do love Gurdas Mann but as an Indian, I respect each and every south Indian artist who is doing a good job. Just because I don’t get the languages doesn’t give me a right to disapprove of them. If some people do, that is because they are jerks or just because they are talking in good humour.

Would I want to drive a SUV, Why not! Do I love my branded clothes, Sure! Is it a crime to like good things in life??

And who said only North Indians form stereotypes!

I am a vegetarian & I don’t consume pan masala or gutka etc etc. And every person I tell this to down here looks at me with horror in their eyes. Does that give me a right to say South Indians are stupid?

I am a hindu and I am a Brahmin but how does it matter. But still half of the people can’t resist but ask me, “What is your caste?” Does that give me a right to say Southies are casteists?

Whenever I am with a bunch of kannadigas, more often than not they start ignoring me and start talking in Kannada. Whenever they laugh, I assume its a joke on me and I can’t even count the number of people who have told me, “First Learn Kannada and then work here.” Does that justify if I hate Karnataka or the language or the people here.

Priyanka Chopra is my favourite actress but then I liked Aishwarya more before Priyanka hit the silverscreen. Does that mean, I turned from being a “south of the vindhyas” guy to a north Indian?

Heard a name-Chetan Bhagat? He is a delhite, He did go to an IIT, He is one of India’s highest selling authors and ironically he is married to a “madrasan.” So what is he?

Heard a name-Kiran Bedi? The woman who has shaken the entire political and bureaucratic class in the country through her utmost bravery? She is a woman and the last time I heard, she was still a Punjabi!

I am not looking for answers to the above questions. We all know them!

I am sure the girl who wrote that stupid blog would have had a torrid time because she met some morons but there are others who face similar situations down south as well. It comes as a package when we live in country as diverse as India. But, what matters is our ability to accept the positives and reject the negatives. After all, someone said very recently, Hate doesn’t kill hate!

What really surprises me even more is that the article here came about from a girl who is talking about “being a writer” or “going to IIT” as a very important point in favour of South Indians. I think before talking about all this, you need to learn the concept of “India” and then you may be qualified to write!

Those 15 men!

Come Feb 19, 2011 and the whole of India would be glued to their TV sets for the next 40 odd days. The reason-World Cup of Cricket is back and this time in India alongwit Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. India went out in the semis both in 1987 & 1996, the other editions of the WC that were held in the subcontinent. Can we do two steps better this time around??

The team on which the onus lies to win back the World Cup for us after a gap of 28 years has finally been announced, and those 15 men are:-

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yousuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, R Ashwin

Most of the players actually picked up themselves either on the basis of performance or image. These are the ones in bold. The rest of the players were dependent on what balance the slectors and Dhoni wanted in the side. Some of the major names that missed out despite decent performances would be Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth & Pragyan Ojha.

So, there might have been some discussion about Yousuf or Rohit but Yousuf's explosive style and bowling abilities must have taken things into his favour. The thing that confuses me the most is Why our selectors have gone with 3 spinners. I know its the Sub-Continent and the ball will spin but 2 spinners with Sehwag, Yuvraj and Pathan as more than average part time spinners would have been a good combination. Taking an extra spinner at the cost of poor Rohit Sharma has been a bit harsh on him

Sreesanth performed very well in South Africa and deserved a call up but in place of whom? His biggest positive has always been the ability to pick wickets and the biggest problem has always been his ability to ball bad deliveries in every over. The selectors must have thought his as a high risk-high gain proposition so they decided to hedge their risk by taking a Munaf Patel who can contain the batsmen after the field is spread out.

The third major name to miss out- Prayan Ojha has been a bit undone I feel. He has virtually done nothing wrong whenever he has played for India and his performances in the IPL for Deccan Chargers have also been exceptionally well. Maybe his inability to bat and provide some useful runs played into the hands of Piyush Chawla who can bat decently.

Overall, I feel there is noone in the side who didn't deserve it, but some surely have missed out who deserved it a bit more. Will this side win the world cup for us? Let us hopse so!

With love & Peace

“Kal tak tan ji khatte hi si, o tan ena ne aiven hi vand te”

Or

“We were One till yesterday, they divided us for no reason”

These were the words used by a Pakistani national when I met him in Greece and I couldn’t have agreed more. 

After having spent around 3 months in these foreign lands, I have experienced the love Indians and Pakistanis share for each other.  Sitting at home, in India or Pakistan, there can be anger and disgust towards each other for various reasons but in the end, we are the same. It has been just 60 odd years till nothing of this stupid rivalry existed.  The love and affection of thousands of years can’t just evaporate in such a short period and the fact is, it should never evaporate.

Being a punjabi, I feel elated when I meet someone speaking punjabi in Europe. In a lot of cases, that person is not an Indian but why should that matter when he speaks the same language, wears the same clothes, has the same culture. If you come to think of it, India's history is incomplete without Lahore and Pakistan's history is incomplete without Delhi. 

The funniest part to all this the fact that those who are responsible for separating us and those who have tried to make sure that we don’t see eye to eye are often offering to act as arbitrators in Indo-Pak talks.  I think we can manage without them, rather we can progress without them. 

Diwali of 2010 would always be etched in mind for what happened that day. We were in Athens and we wanted to have some Indian food and hence we headed to a Pakistani restaurant we had been to the previous day as well. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we saw a jam packed hall with Pakistanis watching Pak play SA in an ODI match. We were about to turn back when the owner saw us and recognised us from yesterday. He came running towards us, got some tables and chairs vacated for us and served us in the best possible manner. He indulged in a small chat with us when he discussed the bad economic condition of Greece which was forcing loads of Indians and Pakistanis to go back home. When he was talking to us, it never felt that he belongs to a different nation because deep within, there are 2 countries divided out of the same nation. I don’t think there could have a better diwali celebration than watching cricket sitting amidst separated brothers and having your own food.

                                     

This is just one of many examples that I have of how I have enjoyed and relished the company of people from our neighbouring nation. In my college in France, we have loads of Pakistanis who are studying as full time students. They have been more than willing to lend a helping hand if it came to searching for accommodation, advising where to buy groceries from and even invitations to play cricket.

The person whose quote I used right at the start of the article met me in San Torini, Greece asked me after observing me and my friends for some time , “ Punjab to?” I had made out from his accent that he is from the Pakistani side of Punjab so I replied, “ Hanji India wale Punjab to han.(Yes, From the Indian Punjab)” And he was quick to add,” tan ki ho gaya ji. Punjab tan Punjab hi hai.(So What, Punjab Is Punjab)”

I quoted this instance to my dad and he said,” waise dona punjaban nu chahida aape khade ho k koi reunification movement chala den.” Or “Both Punjabs should themselves start a reunification movement.” Though he said it in a light mood, this may be the only hope we have. Some fanatics, who don’t belong to any religion or any nation have created all these unnecessary problems and some politicians are not letting this die. Reunification is a far fetched dream but the least we can do is-Live like two brothers should, with love & peace.  

Naraz to tum bhi ho

Naraz to hum bhi hain

Galtiyan kuch hamari bhi hain

Galtiyan kuch tumhari bhi hain

Par kum tak yun roothe baithe rahenge

kab tak ik dusre se kuch na kahenge

kab tak yun dono taraf aansu bahenge

bhula do gile shikwe

do kadam tum chalo, do kadam hum chalenge

India is my name

I am dirty & I am populated
Just two out of hundreds of blames
But I am hungry & I am motivated
India is my name

I was wealthy & I was rich
The Golden Bird-My claim to fame
But I was robbed & I was ditched
India is my name

Many a hurdle I have crossed
Have failed for which no excuses that are lame
Still recovering from what I have lost
India is my name

I love all religions & castes
Filled with plateaus & plains
My diversity is so vast
India is my name

My people respect all relations
Not backward But love our shame
Filled with history & tradition
India is my name

I am proud of my people
Lost pride who are trying to reclaim
Growing despite the cripples
India is my name

Not to be confused as weak
I want peace to remain
Through discussion solutions I first seek
India is my name

Giving the world star after star
Across centuries it is still the same
From Zero to Nano car
India is my name

Renowed world over as a great host
My people help & don't think of any gain
Squeezing resources to get the most
India is my name

Home to the Taj & land of the Ganga
Leaving the world amazed
Always flying high is my Tiranga..India is my name!

The Indian Problem

Travelling from Paris to Aix-En-Provence (a city in south of France) in a TGV train is an amazing experience. 800 kms in 3 hours-Well o Well! Having a look at the French country side that accompanies you on this journey, or for that matter on any train journey in this beautiful country, brings a whole lot of positive energy. You can’t help but say-This is the place to be!

Coming to France is my first trip outside India and I think it is a country that just has so much that I wish we had in India. You step on to the roads and you will realise that there is not a single piece of waste lying outside. You try to cross a zebra crossing and you will realise the respect people give to people travelling on foot. Look at the light turning red and HALT! Ask anything, say anything and whatever the conversation be; it will always end with “Merci” or “Thank You” as we know it in English. Visit a museum and look at the way the masterpieces have been preserved.

The first thing one looks out for at traffic lights in India is the traffic police, so that you can break the rules at the first given opportunity. People travelling on foot live a nightmare when they just can’t cross the road as no one will stop the car/bike/bus/truck for them. Someone asks you something weird and your reactions vary from “Kya!” to “I am in a hurry” to “Pagal lagta hai” to “Idiot” etc etc. I am not saying everyone does this, but most do.

And I think, France is heaven and India is so far away.
But in the same train, looking at the same country side, I find myself listening to Hindi/Punjabi songs on my phone. Then I start to think on opposite lines. Is it possible that the problem is not with the nation but with our attitude towards our nation? What is it that we have that some of the so called modern countries don’t? My language, my music, my movies and a whole lot of other things will be lost if I ever settle outside India. This makes me introspect-This is something I just can’t have here

Step onto any street of Delhi or Mumbai at any point of the day and you will see a world of activity going on. You find so much energy in whatever we Indians do. The loud music, the high pitch of our speech etc can be taken as us being loud but I think it just shows us to be expressive and passionate. Ask an Indian mother, who is the son of her sister’s brother-in-law’s nephew (not the sister’s son ofcourse  ) and in most probability she won’t take more than a second to answer. We love our relations and these relations are a chain that has no end. I don’t remember when was the last time I had food and someone didn’t take a bite of two from my plate. This is something unknown in this part of the world. Isn’t it amazing to share your food with friends and family, it just shows so much love and affection.

We have some of the most hard working and smart people in the world. An average Indian shop runs from 9 to 9 against 11 to 7 in France. As lovely as the Louvre might be, I can’t help but think-If we had not been stolen from umpteen times by people all across the world, we would still have all our relics and the resources to preserve them. If we had not been the victims of fate, we would still have been the “Golden Bird” and people would have had food to eat and the energy to take care of the surroundings. With 40% of the country not getting proper nourishment, a clean and crisp surrounding is a bit too much to ask as people have a lot more serious issues to worry about.

I am in no way trying to demean any other nation. Ofcourse there is a lot that is there to learn for us from the West. Every country, every society has quite a lot that it can teach the world. We Indians ourselves have started to think that we don’t have anything to share which is totally false. Let us not be critical, let us try to change!

Find a Way

I look at them & feel a connection
in them I see my own reflection
then why have we grown so much apart
why have we lost all regard

Its not long ago we were still one
but why now in between has come a gun
just because someone drew a line across our lands
we still could have held on to each others' hands

The sad truth is now we are two
noone knows when & due to who
dont tell me those two dates in august
sometime before must love have left us

Some of ours still live across the line
rather all across the line are like mine
then why are we reason for each others' agony
giving others' a reason to laugh at our irony

We all need to think of a solution
a solution to restore the relation
like it or not, next to each other we have to stay
so together we will have to find a way

Wake Up

I look at them and feel sad
the people of my country
their situation is so bad
social or monetary

We lament the financial meltdowns
having gone tart
forgotten india in our towns
we shallow hearts

Some dying of hunger, some of biting cold
those poor souls
No water & no power putting life on hold
India shining with black holes

fighting a battle each day
my fellow citizens
making troubles turn away
these brave men & women

I am one among you all
living with a fake make up
Acting tall & being small
my friends, its time to wake up

The MEN IN BLUE have arrived, finally, hopefully!

When I got up this morning and saw India struggling at 204/6, the first thought that crossed my mind was- here they go again. Though it was much better than what I got to see in 2002 series( India were often bundled out for less than 100) but the expectations off late have been high. But, I am glad I was wrong. The resilience shown by Harbhajan, Zaheer, Ishant and Munaf was adorable. This is not the first instance in the immediate past where the tail has wagged. Bhajji and Zaheer have off late shown that they are worthy of being called all-rounders.This probably is another sign that Indian cricket is finally coming off age.

Infact this series by itself has given us a lot to admire in this team. The first test was a showcase of batting prowess of India, the 2nd second was an example of how not to surrender and keep fighting and the third(till now) has 2 things to be noticed i.e. we can bat and fight no matter what conditions are there and our tail can bat and bat well.

I personally felt utmost happiness watching the grit and determination shown by gambhir,laxman, tendulkar and co in the 2nd test. A lot of times in the past India easily succommed to pressure on the last day but this was not to be the case this time around. Batting for 2 days straight and losing just 4 wickets was a huge achievement especially after having fared poorly in the 1st innings. This speaks volumes for the confidence these guys possess. I emphasise on confidence because talent was something that we always had in abundance, it was just a matter of application.

But, something that has still not been seen is an amazing display by the bowlers. We certainly have a better bunch of pacemen then we ever had and they have been performing decently. But this bowling attack has not been able to make up for the one odd less than average batting performance. Once that starts to happen, I am sure theres no stopping the men in blue.