BOOMERANG!!

The title means the same as the ending note of my previous post. Its a coincidence....I was thinking what to call this post which will make sense instantly. Anyways, hope it does at the end.

Last week I was busy writing my first semister exams for masters in Human Rights. Darn! it can still remind you of school exams which used to be judgement day (and it came about every year) and trust me i felt exactly the same... no sleep and no memory...nothing. I forgot everything I had read the previous night and only hoped, the recall mechanism of my brain functions at its optimum when i get the question paper. Ha! was tough... I have realised I must not trust my memory and its capacity, however I performed beyond expectations after 10 years of even witnessing an examination hall, in whole or in part.

So here's a pat on my back!! Besides, I thought my exams had some timing because there's human rights violations all around the world. Swat valley crisis, Australia, few months back maharastra. And we thought Aparthied was abolished....now it comes in different names and denominations. So i did not have any problems highlighting the human right issues in current scenario... I had enough and more to write.

But when I was reflecting on these situations, it made me wonder what great motivation these promotors of racist activities have. I wonder what inspires them? Money off course! but I am sure there's more to it than just money or else most of us would be doing this. While I was thinking about this, pavlov's famous classical conditioning enlightened me and reminded of this little boy I met a few months back.

I met this young boy of 12 years at a wedding, he was with his parents. What surprised me about him was his maturity which was way too much for his age. He wore clothes resembling his father's, he participated in mature conversations and ensured he escorted his mother if she was alone. I was astonished! he was only about 12 years of age. How did he know all these things; to act and behave in a certain way. On the last day when this family was ready to go back home, they boarded a car to take them to the railway station and I was also accompanying them. While on our way, this little boy was making a conversation with the car driver as he was sitting on the navigator's seat, and he very confidently asked him, 'uncle aap jain caste ke hain kya?'

I don't remember me jumping off my seat at that time, but i kept thinking about it all the time. How was this little boy's mind conditioned which removed any hesitations to ask a stranger what was his 'caste'. For heaven's sake what did he know about caste and everything!! It makes so much sense now why these 'other' people are being so unkind to indians or asians, torturing women because they are educated and thus commiting a sin and throwing these 'other' people from their state because they don't belong here. The distinction or 'otherness' is instilled so early in life that its fairly ok to distinguish ourselves from others. I am a christian who are you?!!

So here is the output... or as I say the 'boomerang' effect. I don't realise what ideology I am living with but when it comes to 'other' people i demand tolerance. Where will it come from when I am not giving it out? What goes, comes back. Ever heard the phrase ' life runs in full circles'. Its almost time we realise how we are dealing with these everyday issues in our lives because thats the way we will be treated by the universe... if not today than tomorrow.

Therefore, Do what you want others to do unto you!

Lessons of life in a taxi ride!!

This one was my 2nd visit to the very ethnic indian city..Kolkata, and if you behave like a tourist you will be treated like one. Another time I was taken for a metered ride in circular paths. I could not understand how was this profitable to the cabbie because he would have to spend at least 20 extra minutes measuring his metered mulla to a stunning double of what I had paid in the morning to travel to the same destination, milestone to milestone.

Oh! I must mention another instance when the same gimmik was played the 1st time i had come down to this rather peacefully, happily polluted city. Our cabbie dude took me around my destination point 3 times through various tiny viny streets which I had never seen before and at 7.00pm (calcutta is already dark by this time in peak summers as well) they looked even more unfamiliar.

Being a delhiite (oh my god!! have i started calling myself that!?!) I want to flaunt my desi courage off and on. I could never accept the fact that a driver from calcutta could fleece a dilli ki ladki off her cash and walk away so easily. And therefore, I commanded the driver to pull over near a traffic police guy. He very promptly did because he was now tired of circling the roads and at that point I realised he was pleaded guilty for a false offence. What the heck!! he better know his city!! not my fault.

So I acted like a tourist who had been played on by a taxi driver to extract extra cash and soon a mob (precisly about 5 people) inquisitively gathered around the yellow cab most of these people who came to rescue me were about half my size....vertically and horizontally. I was definately putting up a great show for them and the whiteman (traffic police in cal wears white uniform and in dark you can only see white and assume theres man covered with it) for whom i was a wonderful piece of entertainment after a hard day's work.... meeting a stupid woman going around her hotel in closest circumfrence is not an everyday thing...(you dare laugh!!.... :))

Happens after being taken for a ride!! sounds familiar..uuhh?? And what is it that makes people take others for a ride or take advantage of your situation?? I think it is somewhere related to Darwin's theory of survival, each one has to survive and yes on the expense of the other... if need be.

So where are your ethics?? your integrity?? you will ask me. Well I will say who made it in the first place? And you will promptly say God! And to that my reply will be BULLSHIT.

The fact is to everything pleasant and unpleasant that is unexplainable, God is the easiest target. The only thing God gave us is this incredible brain and a priceless life, that we royally abuse. So ethics and integrity are the origination of the billions of neuron connections in that 1 gallon mass you carry on your head. God has not been a baniya in weighing your brain less than his favorite. If you have been victimized, stop complaining and act. Stop prosecuting others for their offences before you give yourself a verdict. And for goodness sakes stop hoping that some divine magic will save you from being fooled. Tough?? yeah it is. but thats why they say, try.

The next time something wrong is done unto you ask what had you NOT done that has put you in this situation. And for all you cab drivers.....Do what you want others to do unto you!!

Use Travelsense!! .......wink wink!