Sick Animals

I had planned to go to Vandalur zoo in Chennai to check out the animals but a shameful incident made me realize that we’ll come across many sick animals in the form of humans wherever we go. One such sick animal deliberately bumped onto a girl and pretended as if nothing had happened. The girl felt helpless and went away as if nothing had happened. I still carry a feeling of disgust not only because of the incident but also because of the way I reacted to it; even I walked away as if nothing had happened! Had the person in concern been my friend or relative then surely my reaction would have been different. Why am I indifferent to strangers? Why didn’t the girl react offensively? Will there be a time when women can walk freely on the streets and live in peace? Until such a time comes, we are all sick animals.

Bhagat's bhagat

You can lose track of a lot of things when you work for an MNC (and paid very little) but I was ashamed that I lost track and forgot the significance of March 23rd, the day Bhagat Singh (Indian revolutionary and youth icon) became a martyr. I realized this only after returning from office and tuning to CNN IBN’s talk-show “face the nation”. This line from one of the panellists tore my heart apart: “He was only 23 when hanged. The loss in terms of potential is enormous”. I turned 23 a month back, I am (and will always be) an Indian patriot but all I could do till now is get into a job that pays me peanuts. I hope I don’t bring shame to him by claiming to be his bhagat (devotee); this will serve as a reminder of my responsibilities towards my nation and he will always be an inspiration.