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My Musings

Slumdog Millionaire…..if someone thinks I am adding my two cents to millions and millions bites that has been attributed to this film, you guessed it wrong…there is not much to add about the movie from my side… What I am trying to pin down is my exact feelings about such rag to riches stories glorifying extreme poverty in developing countries. Poverty makes me sad no doubt but I have lived good years my life side by side with it… Growing up in India, there is no escaping these scenes of sad plight of human life… slums and posh locals almost live hand in hand in urban India and people mostly have accepted that … What makes me wonder is…. Why the western world is so much intrigued by the poverty in Asian and African continents….It almost makes me furious when I read that throngs of visitors are lining up to see the slum world of Dharavi… that’s to me is sick…poverty and slums are all over the world .. those who are so curious to see human sufferings ;why don’t you venture out in the welfare projects and public housing neighborhoods of your own city?… If you care so much about the poor people why don’t you help the one in your own locality? I guess most of these crazy curious visitors won’t dare to put out feet in such neighborhoods (popularly called hoods, ghettos and barrios of the west) why would you then glorify the slums in Asia and Africa? In US and Europe poverty is like a taboo.. Behind the glitz and glamor of all big cities lies the sad fact of slums. Every town has its share of not so fortunate folks but western world has done excellent job of masking it. In US and Europe such poor people get congregated in different neighborhood almost like a social outcast… whereas in Indian subcontinent it exists hand in hand all over…that’s the difference. You will need to make a special trip to see these areas in US and Europe otherwise you will be fooled to believe that it’s a land of riches only…. Now that I have observed both these continents for a good amount of time, all these emotions came to surface after watching Slumdog Millionaire….Asian poverty is intriguing because it can win accolades of fame and fortunes for westerners… and that why this years Oscar winner movie is disappointing… for that matter, if I recall correctly, it’s the same rhetoric last few years… disappointing Oscar winners.. Then again why do I need to watch Oscar movies as the ultimate? I remember how stupid it was to see last summer Olympics when NBC made it seem like All American sports extravaganza… funny how the world of propaganda publicity works!! Thank god I have internet and thank god we have Google….. I can keep myself informed, entertained and educated the way I feel right ………...free, independent and unbiased …………. Peace!

Spend More and Save the Economy

The US economy flourished in the past by encouraging consumers to borrow and spend rather than save. The recent meltdown has created havoc on the consumers. Drastic spending cuts by the consumers have added exponentially to the recession and more than one can imagine. Government has been trying for some time to get its banks to lend and its citizens to borrow again. Even though the excess borrowing caused the problem in the first place, it appears that that may be the only way out of it as well. Historically low interest rates encouraged people to borrow and banks to lend. US personal saving rate fell from 12 % in the early 1980s to -1% in 2006. It appears like a classic catch 22 scenario where in order to revive the economy; the private consumption needs to be revived as well. Based on this thought, I was trying to do my share of spending ;) as if I need any extra reason to shop…Now my passion to shop has a worldly cause associated with it “spend more and save the economy ” …So what I have closet full of clothes, accessories and everything else that I really need.. So what my boys have roomful of toys and more clothes than they can actually wear…. And so what my house cluttered and stuffed with books, things, electronics and what not…. And so what home cooked meal is more healthy and nutritious than the outside one…Once you get bitten by this “spend more and save the economy bug” nothing should stop you from spending…. And that’s when this word “Recessionsita” caught my attention. Macmillan Dictionary website declared it the word of the week. It is one of the top fashion buzz words of 2009. The word recessionista means originally a person who enjoys dressing fashionably on a budget. It also encompasses the universe of dining, entertainment and beauty. How clever I thought that few intelligent minds are trying to cash in against these destitute situations. . If people can be so ingenious at the time of crisis of this magnitude, one must appreciate their efforts. As the world economy tanks, people are finding pleasures in finding bargains rather than splurging. Even for the well offs its beginning to appear gauche to show off their conspicuous consumption. So the new buzz word is spending smartly but cautiously. . It is very chic to save but even more chic to get a deal. Any girl wants to look stylish but also be perceived as smart. And no one likes frugal. So let’s do our share of reviving this economy. And maybe- just maybe we will help save few jobs along the way….The consumer universe has opened up as a bargain basement and let’s go find our treasures!

My Thoughts on Octuplets

The last few weeks this story has been lurking around in my mind. I have been reading in bits and pieces about the birth and related stories of the mother giving birth to octuplets. I am a mother. A mother of twins who survived an ordeal of complicated pregnancy and premature delivery. I know how hard it was to see my tiny twins fight for survival in early days of their life in NICU. And now as me and my husband are raising these toddlers, our constant struggle to give them as much love, attention and care as any other singleton child would normally get. Deep down in my mind that guilty feeling bothers me and nothing will make up for that. To me, how you raise your children is more important than just having them. Children are your blessings but also your responsibility of the highest order. All these feelings came to surface again when I read about the mother giving birth to octuplets. What was she thinking? If at all she was thinking? How can you be so selfish to have such high number of multiples just to make up for your troubled childhood and loneliness? I read that she already has six children before this. If she really wanted to have a huge-large family, why didn’t you think of adopting? There are thousands and thousands of orphans who could use loving and caring home. Was it necessary to put her and her babies’ health to risk? Research proves that more premature the babies are born, the greater risks they have of facing significant lifelong problems .Why did this mother put these babies through this ordeal? And who’s paying for the NICU and related costs? I know how terribly expensive it is for single NICU stay and in this case we are talking about 8 babies for several months. She’s going to be a welfare mom and really how can she make sure she can provide financially for the 14 children she's responsible for? As much as I would hate lawmakers and governments to decide how many children one should have, these types of irresponsible behaviors make me wonder if indeed law should ban giving birth to such high order of multiples. I can understand using reproductive technology for someone desperately trying to create a normal family, but why would someone who already has 6 children go through that? This controversial decision is anything but a heroic case and the mother should be condemned to the highest possible extent. PS: To all my blog readers, for this post, your comments are most welcome. I know its controversial topic and you may have differing opinion. Just go ahead and share…

Aspiring to be ......Somebody?

The whole thing is coming full circle. After all, it’s a generational thing. Couple decades ago, it was me. Now it’s my boys… I guess a few things don’t change no matter what. "What do you want to be"? Elderly people often ask this question. After all, somewhere deep down we all want to see our children to be more successful than us. With that base, we start directing our life and building our career path. No doubt, success demands a lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance. But when do we become successful? All of us have grown up with listening to elderly folks telling us to study hard to become ‘somebody’ big. Along the way the success is measured against someone else. The successful person is always someone else. And we are driven to catch up. The success, after all, is a fluid thing. What defines success keeps changing and catch up game is timeless. The moment we reach a milestone in our graph of success, the expectation height builds higher and then strive begins all over again. Absolutely nothing wrong in that. If we stop, life will be boring like hell. But along the way, sometimes we can loose our sight. There is a difference between aspiring to be somebody and aspiring to be big. The motivation should come from achieving our own success and being proud of that. It should not be based on trying to emulate someone else’s definition of success. I remember the time when I was reading Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The book is thought provoking and very well written. But I often felt that if someone doesn’t have any of those habits or if someone only has a couple, does that make you less effective? Does your self esteem go down if your habits are different than those of the so called effective people? And do habits really make you effective? After all, we have one life to live. Why measure it against someone else’s? Self esteem and pride are integral part of our own existence. I see it everyday in beaming faces of my little boys. As they are exploring this new world , they are trying to do new things on their own. Their faces lit up on every success, every clap and praise they receive. At the tender age of two, they don’t need to compare themselves to others. Their success is their own and they are delighted with their own achievements. That’s the spirit of success and happiness. We all had that spirit before and we have it now. I believe that we are that ‘somebody’ even now. You become big as years pass by. But you don’t become someone else. You are who you are. Aspiring to be somebody also means being unhappy with your own self. The more you imitate others, the more you lose your own identity. Be proud of who you are and where you are in your life. Celebrate your life. And define success on your own terms!