Aasaan Over Assam

The disgrace of Indian Politics shines from the State of Assam this July. More than 40 lives were lost before I came to realize the seriousness of the situation. Thousands devoid of homes, roofs and a village are now being held at refugee camps. Some of the oldest inhabitants of India are now living on bread crumbs and wet canvas over head. 

Just after the Rain Gods showered fury on the people of Assam, the fury of men belittles that of the god’s. The ethnic riots that broke out in the first half of July took me down by surprise. The riot was not the surprise, it was the complete lack of coverage or attention it received from the country that made me raise my brows and then bring down my fist. 

The apathy of the people, the inability of the state government, lack of concern of the central government and the shocking uninterest of the media makes my bones itch. 

The Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi, is all too very well known in Assam for his vote bank politics. The illegal immigrants from Bangladesh receive a fresh start from Indian soil. Food, shelter, clothing and everything a native would receive is on the menu; for free. The game is simple; the Congress party wants to prove its sovereignty by extending its hand to the Bengali speaking Muslims.  

Out of the 4 states that border with Bangladesh, Assam has the highest number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. It’s also a fact that Tripura has more incidents of immigrant initiated crimes than Assam; and that the Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants caught in Meghalaya are sometimes sent to Assam. Meghalaya again is ruled by the congress party. One can actually say that Assam’s tolerance to these Bengali Speaking Muslims is a trade off for the congress and congress allies to prove their sovereign intentions. 

To make proposals of a farfetched theory, the acceptance of Muslims into Assam over a hostile communist state of Tripura could have got Mamta Banerjeethe the Muslim vote banks of West Bengal. 

Leaving that apart and focusing on the riot, It haunts me to see that the country is least bothered about what’s happening in Assam. The electronic media in specific is more interested in talking about The 13^th President’s first speech, Anna Hazare’s fast, Indian cricket team and god knows which product Samsung is going to release next. 

The Center Had not bothered to dispatch security forces to the riot affected areas till it was inevitable to turn its head from the fish curry on Pranab’s table. Over that, there are loathful people like Sharad pawar who want to throw threats of destabilizing the government for personal gains. Caught between such unruly allies, swinging knifes of economic slowdown and a blunt Obama and Co. hell bent on driving investors away from India, the central govt hardly has the time or priority to look at Assam.

This lack of action from the governments in deploying security was the sole reason for the elevation of the aggression. The innocent Bodo’s of Assam had to seek help in form of security from the Militants. This might sound drastic, but with no help from any govt body, they had to fend for themselves. Choosing a familiar Devil over an uncertain God is not a hard choice. The consequences of this would be a growth in public sympathy for the militants, Assam, or in general the north east of India has no shortage of militant groups looking for local support. Once with the help of local public if the militants succeed in getting control of the siliguri corridor, then we can kiss the shivalik Himalayas of India a final goodbye. This news however will not be made public, because most of the print and emedia is either on immigrant sympathy mode or politician loyalty mode. Who gives as damn to the people?

My dissatisfaction with the politicians doesn’t end there. I’m also angry at the opposition, when the opposition leaders can pass comments at magazine covers and openly criticize for deaths of pilgrims, then what makes then stay mum at the situation in Assam???

The Answer – BJP doesn’t have a chance of winning an election in the north east. Except for a few distant stars of hope, the north east has been impenetrable for the BJP. Making comments and forcing the government to act won’t win any votes in the congress/communist/regional party bound states of the north east. So the BJP decides to throw small pebbles at congress and not make a real effort at getting things done.

This episode of ethnic/communal or whatever you want to call riots between indigenous Bodos and the refugees is a disgraceful situation for the whole country. The truth about the ineffectiveness of the greed based political system, the powerlessness of the common man, the crooked vote bank politics, and the euphoric media that turns at shiny objects are all evidence of the apathy for the North East of India.  

Just what the separatists need. Proof of disownment.

Write Winged

Generally I start my Guest posts by talking a little about the guest author or just start off by writing something that would suit the mood, but here I dont think anything is required. Her write has such a beautiful flow that you just cant stop reading... so without boring you anymore... read....

 

I’m one of the aunts Sriharsha keeps speaking of in his blog (although you won’t know which one because there are five of us – at least, not unless he specifies it). Well, to put it more specifically, it’s the aunt whose kid’s article in “The Hindu” Harsha put up last week on the blog.

When Harsha asked if I would write something for his blog, I did not exactly jump at the offer because he caught me in a sort-of burnout from all the writing (non-stop almost) done over the past two years. But, agree I did, out of a sense of kinship – I could identify with the need to take a break from writing, and besides, how could I say no to my own nephew when I wrote for people I didn’t even know!!

Just for background – I’m presently a full-time Asst. Professor at a private college in Bangalore, and a freelance writer for online and print media.

How Writing Changed Me

I read this statement once that the more things change, the more they remain the same. It sounded strange and flawed at first glance and it set me thinking of things to refute this logic. I didn’t have to look too far because my own experience proved how a single step can be the gateway to a sea of change. A simple email I sent on a whim to a content writing firm in July 2010 turned out to be my induction into an entire new world – one filled with sitting non-stop at a newly-acquired laptop, learning to navigate through keyword specifications, subtitle and bulleted list requirements, avoiding run-on sentences, steering clear of plagiarism, ensuring what I write doesn’t put people to sleep etc etc etc.

My perspective widened

As I began researching and writing, every single topic I worked on helped to contribute to my knowledge. Being an avid reader, I enjoyed the process of finding information on topics that I would never otherwise have a reason to read about. Whether it was about starting a flower basket business, managing diabetes and hypertension, or dealing with a differently-abled child, choosing the right television antenna or retirement home, or becoming a basketball coach or taking up TOEFL and SAT, every article I wrote gave me information that helped me obtain an entirely new perspective.

I manage time better

In the beginning stages, it often took me around two hours to complete a 500-word article with more time being spent on researching than on the actual writing. Gradually, I learnt to manage time better by focusing first on information needed for the article. Simultaneously, I also maintained a list of the websites that had interesting information and visited those at leisure for my personal reading. Besides, it came to my notice that completing the assignment became simple if I began with the easy part and then went on to tackle the part that appeared difficult. As I grew adept at using this system, the time required for the 500-word, good quality article came down to about one hour and currently hovers to between 35 to 45 minutes.

Empathy increased

With time, I noticed that all my articles which garnered praise were the ones that had a basic simplicity to them – they were the ones that spoke directly and honestly to the reader. This taught me how important it is for a writer to be able to identify with the needs of the audience. Ever since, I make it a point to read my own writing from the viewpoint of the intended reader, making corrections every time I find that fancy words detract from the meaning of what I’m trying to convey. I’ve found that this has also helped me in the classroom – I’m now more sensitive to the requirements of my students and tailor my teaching to ensure they receive relevant information in an engaging format.

Taking criticism is now easier

There is one thing that is more unpleasant than writing on a difficult topic – rewriting it. Not only do you have to start from a new angle, you are also burdened with the emotional baggage that is often a result of a hurt ego. Writing has taught me to face criticism with equanimity. As I continue writing, I have developed the ability to face up honestly to my mistakes. More importantly, it has taught me to take the occasional unduly harsh comment in my stride without letting it bruise my self-confidence.

However, as I continue mulling it over, perhaps the person who made that statement (a quick search on Google shows it’s part of a song by Bon Jovi) is not entirely wrong. After all, I was writing something unique at every point of time – whether it was the answers that my classmates copied in their homework books, the meticulous notes in college that friends swore by or the articles I now write.  Besides, there is one thing that has still remained the same – the joy and thrill that I experience every time I sit down to write.

Whew!! That’s quite a lot I’ve written, and I hope you managed to make your way through without losing interest…I’d love to hear what you think…..so do write in with comments.

~Anu

Nine Over Mine

The breezy Wednesday morning had more to offer than just blowing air and ice cold water in the tap. The first smiles of the morning were delivered when I saw my nine year old cousin’s name in my inbox. There was a mail from my aunt, who wished to share her son’s first article in the papers with me. 

My cousin Sanath is a 9 year old school going child who likes playing Cricket and is a huge fan of Rajini Kanth. He loves Tamil movies and songs, and off late has found a liking for the Kannada movies of Puneet Raj Kumar. 

Being born in a family of teachers and administrators, Sanath is insistent on solving problems.

HOW I COPE

I worry that my teacher will shout at me if I do not take the books correctly. Therefore, I have made it a habit to check twice that I have kept the books correctly as per the time table.

When I get very angry or irritated, I follow my grandmother’s advice to drink two glasses of water. I also try to figure out if I am hungry and if this is true, I eat something. Many times, I feel my anger goes away along with my hunger.

Sometimes, I feel stressed before the final exams and at such times, I pray and this helps me to calm down. 

Whenever anything happens that makes me feel very bad, I talk to someone – my mother, father or grandmothers, about it depending on who is there at that time. Also, I try to keep in mind what my mother always tells me when I get upset about something: “For everything, there is always a solution. All you have to do is remember this and think calmly.”

~ Sanath

The write talks about coping with problems from a 9 year old’s point of view, but it makes sense to all. The point Sanath makes in his write is to seek help.

If only our pride grew shorter with age…