General…Blah!

It’s Sunday morning; I am watching Rangoli on my cable TV. I wonder how many Indians really still go back to Doordarshan channel; I watched this ONLY national channel until the first 6-8 months of my first job..i.e as recent as 2006…so 1986 – 2006! My father never introduced the Cable network of 100’s of channels to us while growing up. I think it was a great upbringing. J In fact, I feel we watched some good programs compared to what comes in Cable channels. Doordarshan would be an enforcement to watch whatever was shown, so we watched Surabhi, Turning Point, serial with no saas-bahu over-drama, Hum log, Mitti ke rang, Rangoli, Chitrahaar, Alif Laila, Chandrakanta, Nukkad, Bharat ek Khoj, Malgudi days, Street Hawk,  UGC, Interschool quiz competitions, Meri Awaaz Suno, Vyomkesh Bakshi, Captain Vyom, Shaktimaan!!!!

I vividly remember the Japanese show called Oshin, Kashmiri show Gul Gulshan Gulfham, Mungeri Lal and the infinite mythological serials on Shiva, Ganga, Hanuman, Ramayan, Mahabharat; historical serials Tipu Sultan, freedom struggle episodes!! It really was the golden period!

Listening to Rangoli songs is so peaceful when they play even today, “Takkat, Watan ki Humse hai”, “Dil Diya hai Jaan bhi denge…Aaye watan tere liye”, “Virasaat - Taare hai barati ….”

I haven’t had the encouragement to write much these days. News I read are so depressing; needless to say Indian politics is fallen to the lowest level ever, it makes me think why did we ever get freedom from the Brits if this is how the Indian politicians were to mis-use the precious freedom we achieved with so much of sacrifice! The standard of living is actually falling when we read news of West Bengal babies dying, Medical care comes without safety and responsibility, 68% of milk in India is adulterated! Thank god I have stopped buying milk a long time ago.

I was reading how children in Africa are forced to work in Cocoa fields and they have never eaten chocolate in their life! They have no idea what is cocoa used for, but they are chained and forced to work. As a fellow human, if I stop buying chocolate or buy only fare trade chocolate it’s not really going to help these children. It will just become another reason for business; companies doing fare trade of chocolate will just hike the prices of the chocolate under fair trade name and make money but these kids will still be into slavery. I feel their govt. or the companies should build strong rules to stop or at least reduce such custom. But it really breaks my heart to read about these children, makes me wonder how would I feel to do the same or my child to be forced to the same as these unfortunate children!

Another curiosity made me read articles on how soldiers coming back from war have post-war trauma..like Soldiers who would have returned back from Iraq must be having trouble settling back in their normal life after coming back from a country where people die every minute with a bullet or a bomb!

I am in the middle of being a grown-up and doing grown-up things. Have been house hunting and it’s almost done. It is very exciting to see houses, colors, tiles, kitchen designs, furniture and decorative pieces. I keep getting wonderful ideas of decorating my own houses with my own creations. But the amount of mental stress we have to buy a property in Bangalore city, it’s unbelievable. It makes me think what are we doing, why are we doing? Buy a piece of land, we’ll live for a span of 80 yrs and then we’ll be gone, empty handed. All that effort and emotions put in building a house or property will be gone!

Gotta get another painting done..to keep up my spirits and peace of mind!