During my visits to my aunt’s house in Mumbai, I have seen many hijras or transgendered people in the trains clapping their hands and begging for alms. Their presence always made me feel uncomfortable and sometimes even terrified me.
During one particular visit, I don’t recall when; a group of hijras approached me begging for alms. I had a firm resolve not to give them any money.
Thinking that they would not understand the language I speak I told my mother in Tamil, “They look so fit and fine can t they do more dignified jobs?”. Immediately, to my surprise one hijra shot back at me saying “ we are ready even to sweep the streets, but are you ready to employ me? Even educated people like you don’t want to employ us then how else do you expect us to survive?” my mother wanted to avoid an argument, so she immediately handed to her a five rupee note and got rid of her.
But her words made me wonder why this community is neglected and slandered in our country, which is so diverse.
A hijra’s presence is considered auspicious during weddings and childbirth, they are otherwise seen as nuisance. The society shuns them for what they are, and they are exploited both physically and financially.
The society does not accept them for what they are, so they are forced to resort to socially unacceptable professions like begging and prostitution. for example : The other day a hijra was not allowed to enter a ptc bus.
How could somebody be prevented from using the public transport ?????
It would make a big difference if we treat them as fellow human beings with kindness and just as we would treat anybody else.
On the other hand, we should restrain from giving in to their indecent and unwarranted skirt-lifting behavior by giving alms.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
A thought
I came across this passage i dont know where but i thought i should make a mark of it
Attitude
By Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say of do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
Attitude
By Charles Swindoll
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say of do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
The ultimate escape
On 31st october we ( ie my friends - mahalakshmi,shilpa,tara and I) decided to do the bravest things in our lives. I shall narrate to u the whole thing that happened .
i wrote a poem on what happened.
just read it (its not perfect poetry and cannot be grouped under any class of poetry)
here it goes:
It was the day befor diwali the 31st ,
just 2 days after the bomb in delhi had burst.
It was soo morose and sad ,
adding to it the weather was very bad.
After the heavy rains had hit my city(chennai),
everyone decided to get into the mood of festivity.
Four days of holiday didnt seem enough at all
everyone was busy shopping in the malls.
Amidst all the fun we had,
there was this man who got all mad.
All that he wanted was dicipline
He was our vice-principle oduppa.
He announce monday was a working day
and all our happiness faded away.
All the way i went to college,
thinking i would be the only one
to my surprise my friends had also come.
The few teachers who came did not have
much interest to take class.
A few boys in my class tried to escape
but it was futile ,
(coz the gates were locked)
After a lot of contemplation
we decided to run out of the college.
we were'nt bothered about the 1km walk
coz we had sooo much to talk.
We finally reached the bus stand
where we saw our ohter class mates stand.
There a van going to thiruvanmiur was waiting,
so we got in without hesitating.
Finally it was thiruvanmiyur that we reached,
so we decided to go to tara's house
which was next to the beach.
Excieted and amazed by our bravery
we ate diwali sweets and sovouries.
What we did wasnt something great ,
but it was an unforgettable experience
with my mates.
i wrote a poem on what happened.
just read it (its not perfect poetry and cannot be grouped under any class of poetry)
here it goes:
It was the day befor diwali the 31st ,
just 2 days after the bomb in delhi had burst.
It was soo morose and sad ,
adding to it the weather was very bad.
After the heavy rains had hit my city(chennai),
everyone decided to get into the mood of festivity.
Four days of holiday didnt seem enough at all
everyone was busy shopping in the malls.
Amidst all the fun we had,
there was this man who got all mad.
All that he wanted was dicipline
He was our vice-principle oduppa.
He announce monday was a working day
and all our happiness faded away.
All the way i went to college,
thinking i would be the only one
to my surprise my friends had also come.
The few teachers who came did not have
much interest to take class.
A few boys in my class tried to escape
but it was futile ,
(coz the gates were locked)
After a lot of contemplation
we decided to run out of the college.
we were'nt bothered about the 1km walk
coz we had sooo much to talk.
We finally reached the bus stand
where we saw our ohter class mates stand.
There a van going to thiruvanmiur was waiting,
so we got in without hesitating.
Finally it was thiruvanmiyur that we reached,
so we decided to go to tara's house
which was next to the beach.
Excieted and amazed by our bravery
we ate diwali sweets and sovouries.
What we did wasnt something great ,
but it was an unforgettable experience
with my mates.
hi i am back to normal
I am back to normal at last. My comp has started to work properly after a long time. and i thought i should again start blogging .
Saturday, July 23, 2005
My fate at the beach
My friend JP left for NIT trichi, to explore the world of metals . so all of us ie all my folks went to bid good bye to her.
We went for a stroll to the beach and there as always, i met my relatives( My dad's uncle,aunt,3rd cousins,my granyy's cousins and her 2nd cousins).
i dont know them but they always seem to know me . And its my fate that i always have to meet them whnever i go to the beach. after drilling me with their inquisitive questions ............like what college?...is it good? i've never heard of it....... and giving me a big grin they finally left.
so i've decicded to sit on the shore . Even if a tsunami strikes, its better to be killed by the sea than get tormented by their words.
We went for a stroll to the beach and there as always, i met my relatives( My dad's uncle,aunt,3rd cousins,my granyy's cousins and her 2nd cousins).
i dont know them but they always seem to know me . And its my fate that i always have to meet them whnever i go to the beach. after drilling me with their inquisitive questions ............like what college?...is it good? i've never heard of it....... and giving me a big grin they finally left.
so i've decicded to sit on the shore . Even if a tsunami strikes, its better to be killed by the sea than get tormented by their words.
Friday, July 22, 2005
i try my hand at writing for a change
As I sit down in solitude and begin to think about the future, I feel completely lost. I am 17 years old, the age many believe is the right one to make ones decisions about ones own career. Many tell me that this decision will determine my success in life. Success is a major factor that becomes a career decider for many students like me.
In the path to success we are made to learn class 10 portions in class nine, as the marks obtained in class 10 exams determine another so called turning point in our lives. It is based on these marks that the schools determine which group their students would pursue (Science, commerce or humanities). These marks often don’t asses ones aptitude. The common practice in most schools is that students with high grades are given the groups they opt for, while the ones with not very high scores don’t even have a choice. The ones who opt for science say it is more interesting.
At the age of 14 or 15 they have hardly any idea of commerce or economics to opt for it.
They know that science will take them to their success where as the students who opt for other courses are said to have poor analytical capabilities. Does that mean a student who takes up humanities or anything other than science never be successful?
I sit back and wonder what made me opt for the science group. Sure enough parents and my peer group had an influence but, the system failed to provide me with enough information and the right career guidance. Only those with low scores opted for other groups. It was a shame if one did not get the science group.
Even after taking up the science course not many want to pursue with pure sciences. Many opt for engineering and are caught up in the race for the IIT’S and BITS pilani. Little do they realize there is no Nobel Prize for engineering. Nobody sits and thinks about what they really want in life.
Success is something every one wants, but does success mean pursuing a lucrative profession?
With numerous career options at hand I am totally bewildered. Just then pick up the book ‘one hundred great lives’ and I read this passage by Martin Luther King Jr:
We are challenged on every hand to work untiringly to achieve excellence in our work life. Not all men are called to specialized or professional jobs; even fewer rise to the heights of genius in arts or sciences; many are called to be laborers in factories, fields and streets. But no work is insignificant.
All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and must be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
“If a man is to be called a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say:
here lived a street sweeper who did his job well.
And realize that this is some thing our system of education has never taught me.
PS: this is gonna be published in the new indian express
In the path to success we are made to learn class 10 portions in class nine, as the marks obtained in class 10 exams determine another so called turning point in our lives. It is based on these marks that the schools determine which group their students would pursue (Science, commerce or humanities). These marks often don’t asses ones aptitude. The common practice in most schools is that students with high grades are given the groups they opt for, while the ones with not very high scores don’t even have a choice. The ones who opt for science say it is more interesting.
At the age of 14 or 15 they have hardly any idea of commerce or economics to opt for it.
They know that science will take them to their success where as the students who opt for other courses are said to have poor analytical capabilities. Does that mean a student who takes up humanities or anything other than science never be successful?
I sit back and wonder what made me opt for the science group. Sure enough parents and my peer group had an influence but, the system failed to provide me with enough information and the right career guidance. Only those with low scores opted for other groups. It was a shame if one did not get the science group.
Even after taking up the science course not many want to pursue with pure sciences. Many opt for engineering and are caught up in the race for the IIT’S and BITS pilani. Little do they realize there is no Nobel Prize for engineering. Nobody sits and thinks about what they really want in life.
Success is something every one wants, but does success mean pursuing a lucrative profession?
With numerous career options at hand I am totally bewildered. Just then pick up the book ‘one hundred great lives’ and I read this passage by Martin Luther King Jr:
We are challenged on every hand to work untiringly to achieve excellence in our work life. Not all men are called to specialized or professional jobs; even fewer rise to the heights of genius in arts or sciences; many are called to be laborers in factories, fields and streets. But no work is insignificant.
All labour that uplifts humanity has dignity and must be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
“If a man is to be called a street sweeper he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say:
here lived a street sweeper who did his job well.
And realize that this is some thing our system of education has never taught me.
PS: this is gonna be published in the new indian express
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