Saturday 15 October 2016

Poverty is the worst form of violence

(i wrote this one recently and i kind of liked it)

When two people meet they compare their lives, their assets and their ways of living.  And from this comparison arises the idea of hierarchies- hierarchies of rich, middle-class and poor. These hierarchies draw us closer to the idea of poverty. Poverty exists because the idea of rich exits and vice-versa. Poverty is a much contested concept because it can be of two types. One is absolute poverty and the other one is relative poverty. Now, absolute poverty as visible from the name itself is the one which is of the worst kind, where even the basic needs of a human as discussed by the maslow’s hierarchy of needs(physiological needs- food, water, shelter and clothing) are not fulfilled. Second one is the relative poverty which has no end to it because one will always be poor relative to some other person.
World over, there is a war being waged against poverty. It won’t be wrong to say that it is the relevant poverty which causes the absolute one. This brings us to the statement in title- what makes poverty worse then violence? How you would feel if you don’t get sufficient meal a day, your family is dying of hunger or diseases because you have no access to health services? But obvious, you will fight but who will be your opponent? A violent fight gives you a chance to win over your rival. Atleast you will get a chance to strike back but with poverty, whom you will hit—your fate? This facelessness of enemy gives it a worst character.
What could be the reasons for poverty?
·         Core-periphery relations:- Immanuel Wallerstein gave idea of three kinds of nations – core, semi-periphery and periphery. Core is rich because it exploits periphery and semi-periphery. This is very similar to the hierarchies among individuals or within a single a nation too. Rich can eat a $100 meal only because some cannot even afford a $2 meal. Core is getting richer and poor is getting poorer, this gap is widening. america and sub-saharan Africa share this kind of bond only.
·         Growth and development imbalance:- Countries compare their status in world on the basis of their economic standing that is the GDP (gross domestic product). Country is progressing but how well the individuals are doing is not visible. For example –where India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, still one-third of India’s population lives under poverty.
·         Problem with poverty measurements, no clear definition of poverty:- In India, poverty is defined on the basis of calorie intake by a man in a day and world over a person is considered below poverty line (BPL), if he earns less than $2.5 a day. This measurement of poverty is very insufficient and unjust. What about shelter, clothing needs and health facilities? Countries like India even after declining health status of the country still spends only 1% of GDP on health sector. Focus is only on food security where as good diet and health is not given enough credit.
·         Lack of opportunities:- One of the biggest reasons for poverty is lack of work opportunities for people.
Lack of education opportunities (including skills) ---->  Unemployment -----> Poverty

This brings into focus the growth versus development debate.

·         Development of underdevelopment: - Liberalism in the garb of development opportunities is driving less developed economies towards further impoverishment. Neo-colonialism or neo-imperialism, or economic imperialism where countries like china, us and Western Europe are exploiting Latin American and sub African countries through free trade policies. In the name of development funds and development aid, the agencies like WTO, World Bank, etc. impose conditions where poor countries have to open up their economies. They export raw materials at cheap prices and import finished costs at higher prices. This is further impoverishing the Global South.

·         Political, social, economic and technological restraints:- Eradicating poverty to the core would take away one of the vote gathering strategies from demagogues of the present day. Lack of hierarchies in the society, makes opportunities of employment and education accessible to very few. For already under-developed countries, investing in infrastructure and creating opportunities would be little difficult. Even access of technology is restricted to such countries, which acts further as a hindrance in the growth.

These were some of the probable reasons for growing poverty. But looking at the situation of poverty world over is as important as knowing it reasons. Different faces of poverty-
Malnutrition:- recent 13 children deaths in palghar, Maharashtra  due to malnutrition are enough to show India’s declining situation. Half of the deaths world over among under 5 are due to lack of nutrition.
Rising infant mortality rate and maternity deaths – due to lack of health facilties, deaths of neonatal and mothers are a common phenomenon.
No proper shelter:-  even a shelter is a dream for some. Rising slum areas and ghettos is a very example of this.
Rising Crime rates and rising terrorism:- What option you are left with when you cannot even a afford a decent meal with a day’s work or no employment is available. The rise of Islam against western hegemony can be attributed to lack of opportunities and growing people whereas the west was growing at unbelievable rates.

This leads to an overall decline in human development and society. When Hobbes promoted the idea of social contract which every individual consented to, he was not aware that the state which promised ‘no harm to life’ would find out indirect means to harm. The stunted growth of our future i.e.our children gives a very inhuman character to this problem of poverty which makes it violent as well as oppressive.
Government has been unable to tackle this issue. But the need is to identify the enemy first. The objective is to work for the over-all development of all- where giving them food would be as important as giving them access to education. Creating a self reliant population should be the aim of poverty control measures. Rich countries in 1970 agreed to provide 0.7% of their GNP to poorer countries. This should be regulated by UN and more transparency should be brought into it. Million Development Goals under the UNDP includes poverty as one of the targets and countries are aided and given targets accordingly. This is a positive step but it could be made more relevant by giving a better and clear definition to poverty, which will help aiming reform in a more defined direction. The debt cycle African countries are lost into should be reduced as agreed in the 2005 G8 summit. Taking a cue from India’s PDS (public distribution system) i.e. food at subsidized costs, food security should be insured. Schemes like MGNREGA should be started to ensure definite employment generation. Inclusive growth financially as well as in other sectors is as important, recent Jan Dhan Yojana and Direct Benefit Transfers acts like a heads-up here. Increasing access to health facilities and easy availability of vaccinations to poor are equally important


The idea of a better future lies in the hands of our children. Not a few but a larger number of reforms are needed to wipe out this faceless evil. Like a masked devil, poverty is eating up our past, present and future. It has to be resolved not in isolation but in interdependence. Otherwise after world wars, there will be now clash of civilizations as predicted by Samuel Hartington. One of them in the face of terrorism is already on rise and to nullify it, west must give up self greed and give poor a chance to grow.

Monday 26 September 2016

I wish to live...

Sometimes it is best to be quite. That is exactly how I feel these days,  I wish to be quite. I don't want to talk to anyone or  about anything. But will people around me let me stay quite? No they won't.  If I speak they have an issue with that and if I don't they have an issue with that too. I want to be the best judge of my actions. But even when I approve of my actions,  it is the approval of people I seek the most.
I live alone and I am free to spend my life anyway I want.  But there is always a But. I cannot live freely till the time I live with people around me. Because they would want to point fingers at every inch of my private life. I am a bird who has been set free but his wings were chipped long back.
I wish to breathe freely.  I need to be  somewhere,  where people would not ask me whether I eat or live on water. I would not want people to tell me to loose or gain weight. I would not want people to tell me whether I should be a veg or non veg. I would not want them to predict whether I am single or with five. I don't want anyone to raise brows over my drink. I would not want them to make guesses about my virginity. I don't want a particular neighbor to keep a tab over my timings. I would not want anyone to call me a slut just because I have too many opposite sex friends. And I don't want people, I meet for the first time to take my frankness as my weakness. I wish to be a person with a free will. I would not want people to make comments over my family background just because they saw me puffing away some smoke. I don't wish people to think I am open just because my partner is not around. I don't wish them to take me as an option but  as a person I am. I wish they would see my personality and not my gender.
Live,  love, drink,  enjoy that is what i wish to do without a care for the world. But I won't be able to say that I don't care. Because I do. I care about when people dislike me. I will care about them passing remarks over me. I would be bothered about  there comments and opinions. I will get hurt with all the rumours that they would spread about me.  I will care when I will be isolated. I will care because I live here.  I live here to live and not to spend this life as a loner. I care and I cannot deny it no matter how much I deny it. All i wish is people to accept me as I am and the kind of life I live.

Thursday 30 June 2016

We the humans

We lived happily
We lived gaily
Like friends, like siblings
All together
Playing and eating
Four limbed with small brains

Lived on trees
Hunted for food
Not a single demand
Not a hint of greed
We lived happily
We lived gaily

One day
Came the devil
Offered a shiny jewel
To one who will finish the race first
And the greed
Was Shining in our eyes
We fought
We raced
For a mere jewel
We lost our innocence
We  lost inner self
No more together
No more gay
No more happy
We fought for Devil's ugly prize

We killed
We cried
But we were not to unite
And came the big wave
We Lost all trees
All glory
All beauty
To the ice age
We were hungry
We were crying
Eating away each other
Desperate
We killed each other again
Slowly slowly
We Withered away
We lost
We went away

Earth was no more our home
All left was hope

Years later
Came the better ones
Better, smarter and larger
Inhabited the earth
We again Lived happily
We lived  gaily
Developed the tools
Improved the life
All were in heaven

Living happily and gaily
With a silent promise
Not to die away fighting
But again arrived the devil
This time no jewel
No glitter
In his hand was a paper note
The prize was large
But the race trikier
To earn it
We had to act the ugliest
The battle was on
We Went into fight
Just like the old ones

Life was better
And worse for some
With new things
Devil increased the prize
On came the wars
On came the nuclear weapons
The big gadgets and the bio weapons
The battle was on
the hunger to win unnerving
But someone watching over
Was awaiting the same fate
He had new breed
In his mind
The plan was ready
The new were better
With better minds
But all he was waiting for
Was the dawn of new ice age
Just like the old one

Thursday 23 June 2016

I call him the most beautiful chapter of my life

This very month last year,  something beautiful made a grand entry into my life,  my nephew. I have heard movie-stars use the phrase 'khushi ke aansu'  ample number of times. And I experienced it the day he was born. 
Some would say you are a kid lover.  But I was never one before him. I can  say I am a changed person now. He has made me change so many things about myself. I was always a rebel like any teenager and later as an adult. I am still in the same age but I have started to value the family bonds.
My preferences have changed.  Now I look forward to going  to my sister's place and seeing  him.  I was anti family.  Now these relationships and family bonds are very dear to me under my changed perspective.
Seriously kids can change your life and in my case he changed mine.

When is it going to change?

Shit!! I forgot to save it and now I will have to write it all over again. Hmmm what was it all about. Yea I am depressed today because of two people in my life. One is a close relative and other one a close friend.

My friend said to me today that she is feeling suicidal as she is not able to cope up with her relationship. She is doing all she never wanted to do in her life,  just to save this bond. She said her boyfriend is having trust issues with her. Her words clearly pointed out towards her depression. How could I help her?  She wanted me to sort things out for her. But I was helpless.

How could I say something when I was myself a witness to the same issue, happening to someone closely related to me but was not able to do much about it. It is always going to be the same if girls are going to work,  they will have to give proof of their loyalty from time to time. Why can't these stupid boyfriends actually think of their girlfriends as girlfriends  and not as some versatile example of male ego. How could anyone even be in touch with my gf behind my back?  Stupid boys!! When will they learn to treat two things differently where ego is an issue of feelings,  girlfriends are living  things,  who deserve respect.  I am not a feminist and I am not a hardcore promoter of male female equality. 
But I do promote this fact that when it is easy for your girls to accept your working status, your work friends and busy schedules. Why can't you do the same? When I see 99% of females cribbing about this trust issue. I always feel why this word called 'jealous' has been attached to girls,  it would rather go well with jealous boys.

Sunday 19 June 2016

Don't think too much

The best part of the life comes in bits and pieces.  And mostly at times when you need it the least or the most.
I was talking to a friend today after a long time. I asked him the usual question,  how's life?  What have you been up to? Ad his reply was the usual,  life has been tough but it's okay,  I am trying  to be strong.
All I could think about was my life,  which  I think was the toughest.  Yes according to me,  being undecided about your career and your dreams is the worst of all.  But I guess like most of the preconceived notions,  this one also turned out to be wrong. 
And I asked the usual ironic question, is  your job not going well? For me job and career, which is my problem actually,  the center issue of all problems. But he said no I got promoted,  career wise everything  is perfectly fine,  my mom passed away in December.  I was left speechless.  I had nothing to say. 
And I realised not all is well with everyone.  But positivity is one thing that keeps one going.

Saturday 18 June 2016

Udta Punjab


I am new to writing movie reviews. So I  might not be entirely correct but yes udta punjab deserves an applaud. One time watch with a very sensitive message. Over and all a social issue,  yet it is difficult to draw a line between the  politics of Punjab and the drug menace there. The director concurs with me there and is very expressive about  it through out the movie.  Four parallel narratives of Tommy Singh,  alia bhatt, preet Sahni and Sartaj singh  with a common theme, meet at different points and weaves an integral story out of the lives of these four.  Shahid kapoor and diljit have acted brilliantly.  The surprise package was alia and  kareena who rather than playing the usual part of a complementing factor to the whole scenario,  have given an equal challenge to the male  characters. It is still hard for me to forget that expression of deep content and  satisfaction on kareena's face on her death bed. And alia with her disadvantaged life adds a new flavour to the movie. With this movie,  Daljit is definitely going to make a mark in the Industry but ofcourse for his acting skills as well as charming personality. And best  of course was shahid,  the crazy rockstar,  whose character ages with every bent and turn in the story. Tommy Singh's satirical 'I am the gabru' is a bomb big enough to burst the Punjab bubble.  And I think those three words are enough to describe the detrimental condition of youngsters of Punjab.

Well we forgot Abhishek Chaubey, who is the real charmer,  who created this thread and made everyone participate so brilliantly.
Story was good but the ending could have been  even better.  Leaving things open ended was much needed so as to let people ponder over this issue.  Giving them a happy ending  was like taking them to hell first and make them suffer and  like every other story they land in Paradise at the end.  Whereas reality is nowhere near this utopia even in the future.
Over all the direction is good, the idea brilliant,  story good and actors have acted far better than it was expected.  Portrayal of characters quiet real and the music adds a necessary dimension to the movie.  After all, punjab is all about drugs and rap music these days.  Politically motivated or not,  that is difficult to contemplate but yes this movie can be a deciding factor in the fate of Punjab assembly elections. As many parallels can be drawn between the udta punjab and the contemporary punjab.

Forced to be free

Currently, going through Rousseau’s discourse on Political Economy, and his work called the Social Contract. He is confusing me a lot. ...