New Year 2017: resolutions and expectations for the coming year

                                                             

NEW YEAR 2017: resolutions and expectations for the coming year

A few moments later we are all stepping into New Year 2017 with lots of hope and aspirations. No doubt, one has to have a positive attitude and aspire for beautiful things to happen in one's life, even though life is an amalgamation of pleasure and pain as everyone knows. Each year passed and forgotten, still adds experience, maturity and wisdom to one's life. Looking back analytically at the years lived; one realizes the positive and negative elements that have dominated one's existence. Each second, each minute, each hour counts for every individual who is conscious of one's own existence. What is an existence? Jean- Paul-Sartre tried to philosophize and cited existence precedes essence and lived his life accordingly. Some sketch and sculpt their road maps of life on their own terms and live by it. But the truth is, deep down in our hearts, we all wish to prosper and be happy throughout our life. Who dares will certainly enjoy life in true sense. Independence, freedom, responsibility, empathy, compassion and humanity - these words when applied practically to life seriously and consciously, life takes a different turn and becomes worth living. The New Year celebrations continue year after year with increasing enthusiasm all around the world. Every New Year begins with some set of resolutions and expectations, and as the days pass the New Year euphoria vanishes, the resolutions either forgotten or postponed comfortably for the next year. Why do not we stick to our resolutions? Why do not these resolutions materialize? Certainly, there are two reasons for these questions. One, we are so lazy that we do not focus and pursue. Two, we make too many resolutions in exuberance and fail to achieve not even one. When resolutions crumble down, no room left for expectations. It is better to have one or two resolutions and see them materialize with focus and perseverance.


Looking at the global scenario, in the present situation, human existence seems very fragile, transitory and history less. Everywhere there is a kind of unrest and chaos: each one wants to overtake the other; each one tries to invade the other's country and privacy. Bombings have continued scaring the wits of people, chemical gas weapon, the outcome of brilliant minds, has suffocated and took lives of millions and millions of children who wanted to witness each New Year with glistening eyes and with the expectation of New Year gifts.


Look at the scenario of Kashmir. The unrest has continued for the last so many years. The families spend sleepless nights in anxiety not knowing whether the family member gone on an errand will return alive or not. No one knows when one will be rained with bullets and drop dead. In continuation, the centers of knowledge and culture, the efforts of many decades and people, the age old schools have been set ablaze without a pinch of remorse. What these small children can hope for in 2017 here and the coming new years?


Aleppo is very much is in news and we all know for what reason. The whole world has witnessed what has happened there. Due to the ongoing civil war in the country, the people of Aleppo have been evacuated. Think of small kids in this bizarre situation. When these kids are supposed to spend their childhood peacefully, merrily playing with their toys and building tiny homes in the sand, they have been displaced at tender age. Leaving behind their place, homes, their belongings, their memories, people have moved to unknown bleak places. Every day Aleppo news appears in newspapers and on television, still some of the countries have remained silent on this issue. And some of the countries have blocked entrance to these refuges. Where is empathy? Where is humanity?


Now take the example of ‘Boat People’, the Rohingya community. Without any citizenship these boat people are at the sea for months together, tossed from one country to another country like ping-pong balls across the table. The overcrowded, depilated boats are the true portrait of these displaced human beings. Imagine their life in the rough sea during rainy season, think of their summers without drinking water and limited rations, think of their winters with cold breezes and ailments, and in between birth and death happen, heedless of time and space. Is there any value and respect for human existence here?


In these circumstances, we are stepping into 2017 with lots of dreams. We want to celebrate the event in a big way. As human beings we have to give a serious thought to these above issues and try to do our best for the people because we are all one as a big family, irrespective of caste, creed and country.


With all my heart I pray for trouble free and comfortable life for those people and kids who have been displaced, in the coming years.

Selfie Menace: every technology has advantages and disadvantages

Selfie Menace : every technology has advantages and disadvantages 

                                                                                                                
Indian society has changed drastically in the 21st century due globalization and technology outbreak, and the change is very fast and significant. No doubt, 21st century is the digital era of computers, laptops, mobiles, and information and connectivity. With new features and multiple apps, a mobile phone is everyone's dream these days. Everyday a new technology is invented, as a result, in heaps new gadgets enter into the markets every second. Confidentially speaking, every new gadget is package of advantages and disadvantages. Initially, facilitated with camera mobile phones mesmerized everyone and people immensely enjoyed clicking photographs incessantly and posting them on social media. The digital era has presented us many gifts, for example one can take any number of photographs and delete them to take some new ones. Comparing to this, I certainly feel the black and white photography days were better. Because everyone treasured those rare images which speak about our history today. A time came with selfie invention and in a very short time a selfie made everyone's life fun filled and beautiful and at the same time miserable and hellish. I never knew how menacing it was till I had to go through that experience myself. In the month of August, 2016 my husband and myself were having a show in Mumbai's famous Jehangir Art Gallery. The show was for seven days. Since Jehangir Art Gallery is centrally located and long standing, many visitors, young and old, drop in continuously till it closes. I was very elated because the first gallery at ground floor was allotted to us and many people would visit our show. But it proved a harrowing experience for me! Definitely, continuous flow was there all the seven days. School - age boys and girls used to come in groups, they used to go through the hall as if they were in hurry to get back to their classes. When they liked a painting, they posed in front of the canvas and took several photographs nonstop without seeking permission, and in that process they blocked the path as well as the painting for other viewers. One group disappeared and another strolled in. Flashy mobiles in hand, with impatient glances at the walls and art works, boys and girls hurried to click selfies with each and every painting. That whole act made us uncomfortable as well as the other senior viewers, who wanted to spend some quality time in their favorite gallery.

While taking the photographs some tried to lean on the canvas, some tried to hold the edges of the paintings - It was really exasperating! I shouted ' stop it’. Since that moment, I told them not to take selfies as it was disturbing the environment. In spite of that, some made requests to take selfies. Some of the viewers not knowing how to take selifes, directly requested us to click for them. What nonsense! Still we obliged. By on third day, we pasted a notice NO PHOTOGRAPHS and NO SELFIES. The flow of visitors was high in the coming days, mainly youths, invariably in jeans and T shirts. Some beautiful girls came in shorts exposing their beautiful tanned thighs; the selfie menace doubled, and it looked as if those visitors purposely

avoided noticing the sticker. For how many people one can inform not to take selfie ? Next two days it was exasperating. On last but previous day, a bunch of college students entered the gallery, they were really elated by seeing the paintings, and we could make out it from their hushed tones and gestures. They spent a good time, unusual for youths. One of them came to us and politely requested us to allow them take some photos. Since they seemed genuinely interested, we Okayed their request. One of them, a tall handsome guy, started posing in front and beside the canvases, one after another, as if some photo session was going for an Ad shoot. Next, the guy went towards the middle of the hall where a huge flower arrangement was, and sat on the floor beside the flowers posing for another click. The whole scene reminded me of the Kingfisher Calendar Girls' Shoot I really felt sorry for those grown up kids because one can flaunt flashy mobiles, dress and audacity but it does not compensate for one’s cultural behavior.