BORN INTO BROTHELS

Although I had downloaded the documentary Born into Brothels a year ago, I somehow never had a chance to watch it till yesterday..and I am kind speechless since then. I believe that growing up too fast is one of the worst things that can happen to a child...while for these children, there is no so called 'innocence' to begin with..but they are still children..only that they are born to prostitues. The documentary details the efforts of one lady to teach photography to these children and her ultimate efforts to get them out of the hell.. into boarding schools and child care centers...so that they do not end up being a part of the 'line'. Its amazing to hear those children talk about how they see life..raw, honest emotions and how the lady brings out the creative side of each one of them. And how after all her efforts, hopelessness still is the only answer for some of those kids.

This is a must watch. Zana Briski, I salute you. I am your fan.

*****
Current Mood: Sad
Current Song: Rahon pe rehte hain from 'Namkeen' by R.D. Burman.

NO SOCIAL LIFE SYNDROME

I remember the time about 3 1/2 years ago when I was in Mumbai..I had just given my GRE and was working like a dog at my job just because I had nothing else to do. My friend used to call me each weekend and ask me what I was doing and I would say 'Nothing' and she would laugh and say that I had the "No Social Life" Syndrome..we used to laugh it off each time...but I knew at the back of my mind that she was telling the truth!

I just remembered her this weekend because I feel I am going to suffer from that Syndrome again for the next few months. Summer has just come so the days are long, friends are not around and I am living with just one other roomie who is busy with his thesis, so no roomie talks.. and no playing volleyball either because of the stupid broken finger. But I am still getting a feeling that living alone is not a bad idea after all. I did a lot of trivial but useful things that I would have usually avoided just because I had something or the other nonsense going on all weekend.

1) cooked twice in a day!! ..thats record output for me
2) did my laundry
3) Made tea..after about 3 months..
4) sorted out my box of pennies and dimes..i had about 1000 of them in all..from the teen-patti that we played for the last 3 years!! wikipedia is going to get richer :)
5) left feedback on amazon and ebay.com
6) read 50 pages of Heart of Darkness
7) watched 'The Insider' which i thought was over rated
8) took a nap
9) bid for two items on ebay
10) ironed my clothes..
11) called up my sister who didnt answer her phone at usual
12) checked airline ticket rates to NY..

whew...that was quite a busy day...

******
Current Mood: Adventurous
Current Song: 'Message in a Bottle' by 'The Police'. Haunting.

Walked out this morning, dont believe what I saw
Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore
Seems Im not alone at being alone
Hundred billion castaways, looking for a home..

CHANGING INTERESTS AND WEIRD QUESTIONS

In the past few months, I have suddenly discovered my liking of a range of topics that I never dwelled into too much before. First among them is the connection between politics and economics throughtout history, and the second is the most famous debate since time immortal...no, not the chicken or the egg question, but about the existence of GOD. And these two are inturn interconnected because GOD is a good excuse that people have given for vested political and economic gains they have wanted and still want over their peers.

A stunning BBC documentary I watched about the Galapagos Islands, articles and lectures of Prof Richard Dawkins, reading about human rights issues and the economics of War ( Addicted to War is a good easy start) , watching lectures of Dr Noam Chomsky and quite a bit of stuff that I've subsequently read on Darwinism and other topics have screwed up my mind because there is no way a person who believes in science can reject evolution.. and if you accept evolution, you implicitly reject GOD. This makes you think why did you believe in GOD till now..which leads to the fact that society in a large way affects your morals, the way you think and behave, and that taken a step further means that we were/are (un)knowingly forced to think and behave in a particual direction because the higher powers in society gain from it..and that most of us are nothing but just puppets in the higher scheme of things. The church gained control over entire continents for most part of two milleniums by means of GOD...and billions of people have blind faith and strange superstitions that make them question their capability to do anything...( A Clockwork Orange makes a lot more sense to me these days ).

I might be offering the depressing (and true?) point of view, but it still makes more sense to me than believing in lies and see people slit each others throat for the sake of something they never understood and will never care to think of rationally... I can only hope that sanity and rationality will eventually prevail...should I say InshaAllah?