Sunday, September 14, 2008

Blast from the past

Horrible headline!! But achingly, uncannily true, as it turns out! On the 10th day of Ganpati, when Ganeshji goes home after the visarjan, what thought is He leaving with about this crazy duniya of ours? Delhi gets ripped apart with the ease of a knife cutting smootly through butter. We in Mumbai, look on impassively, helplessly, as does the rest of India. This time the emails talk of Babri Masjid. Last time the reference was to Godhra. There is vengeance and hatred in every sentence. 'An eye for an eye..." how sad and pathetic it all sounds. Innocent lives taken by Dustbin bombs. Can we sink lower into the moral gutter.... or create a bigger stench through our wicked deeds? This is called the 21st century verion of garbage. Except that this garbage blows up harmless people. Hey Ganeshaa, Hey Allah... dekh teri duniya ki haalat...
The mood is sombre and dark. Like the weather. There appears to be a cyclonic storm brewing outside. There are a myriad storms raging within people's hearts. My fingers are crossed that no harm comes to any of the Ganesh moortis as they wind their way to the sea. No security force in the world can catch or prevent suicide bombings. A person who is willing to die for a cause is successful even before it becomes a fait accompli. Most human beings fear death. A terrorist courts it. Intelligence agencies be damned. A brain -washed individual is the most lethal force on Planet Earth.
I wish I had not seen Righteous Kill... it compounded the depression. But it's a film that MUST be watched. After all, when again will two of the greatest living actors be seen together in a movie that gives both stars equal footage, and fans can feast on some great scenes which once again remind viewers what powerful cinema is all about?
Must end on a foodie note. Today is my son Aditya's birthday. My youngest child, Anandita is baking the world's best cake for him. She wants to open a Patisserie some day... and we are her obliging guinea pigs! She delighted us with orange rind pancakes for breakfast this morning. I shall give you a full report on her cake soon. Kiara has been sampling it at every stage ... and clearly approves!
I was MIA since I had a dinner date to keep with my husband in Alibag. I leave for Ahemedabad tomorrow. So, adios till tuesday... tough times need tough people. Are you one of them??
P.S. Blogdosts, do you remember my prediction about Salman Khan landing himself in a soup after that high profile display of Ganpati devotion? Well.... guess what? A fatwa has been issued asking for a ban on Salman and his entire family.

17 comments:

Maddy said...

Many Many Many more Happy returns of the day to Aditya.

I am recollecting all that you said about him in your "Speedpost".

""Anandita is baking the world's best cake for him".....Whatelse will make Aditya happy than his sister's love and affection blended in that cake. A Hi to your little girl too.

Anonymous said...

What to say ?
Very sad...
Myself changing TV channels
:(

Kris Bass said...

I don't know what to say De. It's all too frequent to incite a reaction now.

Parv Kaushik said...

Happy Birthday Aditya!! we ccan have sum cake too we wnt mind at all!!

the delhi blasts have struck me like some personal loss.... hope we vote UPA out this tym!!

people cant be fooled twice by soniaji!!

and convey my salute to modiji.. i dnt knw how mch u hate him tho!! he's our only hope...

Renu said...

I think sombody wakes up our home minister and Soniaji from their deep slumber.
Disgusting to see that even our capital is not safe.

happy B'day to Aditya !

sanju ayyar said...

waise cake khaane ke liye hum kaheen bhi aa sakte hain!

Harish said...

Aditya! Happy birthday to you.

And how rude is that re De... Guinea pigs???? (lol!)... had my mom written that about me id have had mahabharat part 2 at my place.

... now about cake sampling... Mere ghar mein bhi my lisa, has got the bestest taste buds in the world. She is the one who tastes everything first... Tumhaare ghar mein bhi wohi story... :-)"Kiara a ne bola haan... toh haan. bas!":)

Fatwa on salman's family?? i remember the dialogue from the very progressive (islamic) movie "khudha ke liye, when Naseer was quizzed about being a progressive moslem and sporting a beard "din mein daadi hai, daadi mein din nahi hai" (there is beard in teh religion, there is no religion in the beard). Islam is a beautiful religion. Interpretation??? well that could be either constructive or destructive. And the sad part is that most choose the latter. Why wasnt a fatwa ordered on him when he rammed into innocent pavement dwellers? why wasnt a fatwa ordered on him when he banged the door of a girl in the dead of the night, why not when he endangered the ecosystem by slaughtering the protected black buck... ? ( his act cannot be dismissed as an impulsive reaction, even though the girl in question is not so innocent) Where we these people then? do they emerge only when someone behaves liberal for the larger good of the society... Writers, actors, singers... people who have the power to influence through their art and craft are often ordered this subversion. Why no fatwa against terrorists? are they allah/ Bhagwaans pacemakers... as in, do they have the right to use a gods name, and keep his name alive. If you condemn their acts, why not order a fatwa against them. I mean the terrorists.

if one writes about what they perceive as not right. Have they wronged. Freedom of expression...? does any religion curb that...?I wonder.

I admire your foresight and adore you... Salman will get through this obstacle too... just as he did after committing horrendous crimes.

Now the attitude is... "terrorism na... same old news. I have no relatives in delhi so I simply surfed to another entertainment channel. That was mean on my part. When I reflect I admit.but arnt we all getting nihilistic. Numb without feelings of empathy. The fact that I was selfishly scared about some dhamaka during ganesh visarjan... because here i had some friends in the bheed bhaad.

Yes, a brainwashed individual is the most lethal weapon. I hate when people have no spine of their own. I admire people who stand up for their views and ideas, one might subscribe to their views or not... but nonetheless, we need to appreciate that its "their" view and not a mere reflection
why be the herd, be heard!

point to ponder na :-)

By the way... an important thing... "mereko bhi cake chahiyeeeeee!!!"
aham

Arjun said...

How was the cake?

Siva said...

Happy birthday to Aditya....how was the cake?

Anonymous said...

Every happening of terrorism makes my heart stop still. Like so many, many, many others, I have been much, much too close to terrorism to take any of it less than very seriously. I am always transported back the distraught, jagged memories and experiences of seven years ago. Dust covered, hurt but alive fleeing the nothingness that had been a place of hope and industriousness an hour ago. Alive! yes, Alive. Jai Bhagwan, Allhamdulliah, Mazeltov and what not! There was a happy ending for my family. Some close friends and coworkers did not come back home ever again. There was no happy ending for thier families. They were just GONE one day. A void left behind in the lives of thier loved ones. Such enduring human tragedy. We truly mourn thier passing in different ways everyday.

I multiply my emotions from so many years ago, infinite times for every person, for every family member left bereft by the hatred of the "other", for the victims of terrorism in every place and in every form. For Delhi/Mumbai/for every hamlet, town and city which has been ripped asunder by an evil, planned agenda.

I weep silently for the loss these people face and for our collective loss in allowing our dignity and trust in humanity to be robbed. I weep for our inability to regain what we lose everytime we allow such a tragedy to happen without actual lawful redress. While I weep, I also resolve everyday to be part of the solution. I want to leave this a better place for my children.

Another Kiran in NYC

kiran sawhney said...

I am from Delhi and from GK. The blasts and any of its news still send shivers down my spine. It is indeed a shameful act.
Happy Birthday to Aditya.

Anonymous said...

Shobhaa, I have just read all your posts and have bookmarked you. Wish someone would read my blog like I have read yours. No that it is as good but the mind still doesn't stop hoping, you see.

As for the Delhi blasts, what can one say? I am rendered completely speechless for once and I just pray for all the victims, their affected families and for, as one of your blog-dost put it, all the collective loss.

Life still goes on for the rest of us. Belated happy birthday to your son Aditya.

Do drop by at: http://anorak75.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

shobha, i'd really a[[reciate it if u wrote a blog post towards women and ur oppinions on our progression today in terms of the way we view women.Also issues like the bikini in india and what actually is ur definition of respectability?

It'd be lovely to have a connect with you through this blog.

Much love always,
Vaneeza


P.S:
I'd even appreciate it if you dropped in your reply here in the comments section if not blog about it or if you understandibly don't have time.I value and admire your oppinion and am eagerly awaiting a respoinse

Kanupriya said...

Well, blasts in India have become sort of monthly ritual! Hundreds of innocent lives getting lost everytime and all we get to hear from our intelligence dept is that they have tracked the email! What next? Is there any action taken further?
Aside, from a foodie to a foodie: How was the cake??? Guinea pigs for cakes, oh wow, quite interesting I must say :-)

Shobhaa De said...

Darling dosts, i just got back from Narendra Modi territory and will be posting a blog on that soon. Kiran, it sounds like you were near the Twin Towers on 9\11?
I am just so confused.... about my own , uncharacteristic reactions to what happened in Delhi.... Shivraj must go!! But will that solve anything?
Aditya loved his cake and the Moet helped. It was a warm and intimate celebrations. Thanks guys, for your sweet msges to AD, as he is called.

kiran sawhney said...

Shobhaa do you mean to say that if it happens at twin towers- the whole world should/did react? And if it happens in GK in Delhi, we should see the news in one of the channels and forget it next morning?

If a blast happens 2 km away from where you reside, what should be the reaction?

Or for that matter if it happens in a different state or country, then what should be the reaction?

Anonymous said...

The men of cloth should cut the dude some slack. Don't let's forget Salman is half Hindu for crying out loud:his mum as you rightly posit is GSB. Salman's Ganesha can't have ruffled feathers in the same vein that the Grand Mufti of Azhar mosque in Cairo might have done by bringing home a Ganpati with him. You know I am so beyond itching for the fatwaad to become the fatwaee for a change.