Puns & Poses

RESERVATION CONUNDRUM The Supreme Court of India has upheld the validity of 103rd Constitutional Amendment 2019. The amendment provided for 10% reservation in educational institutions and government jobs for ‘Economically Weaker Sections’(EWS). Before this, the provision of reservation was only for those communities who were regarded as ‘backward classes’. This backwardness is measured by level of education in the community and their ascribed status in the caste-divided society. So the reservation was provided for the communities which came under Scheduled Castes(SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes. And these communities, since they already are eligible for reservation, are not eligible for the EWS reservation. Essentially, a new quota of reserved seats has been created which are accessible only to poor from ‘forward castes’ and not to poor of backward classes. Some deem this step as reservation for forward classes.  This new legislation has led to many questions. ...

INDULGENCES  I watch movies, tv-shows, sitcoms, web series etc. A lot. This blog is about some of them. I do not claim to have great taste. That is yours to judge.  When I watched this movie for the first time I was very young. My father had rented the CD. I didn’t understand a thing thanks to elitist Urdu spoken by the characters. Two years ago, I watched it again. And boy did I like it! I loved it. By that time I had developed some interest in shayari and stuff. So I could better understand the Urdu-laden dialogues. In fact for me the dialogues are the best thing about the movie. The lines are so poetic. At one point Salim says, “ aql tamasha dekhti rahi aur ishq kadamon ka sahara lekar had se aage badh gya”. I wouldn’t even dare to translate.  Actually the plot of the movie hinges on story about a rebellious prince and his father who is a stickler. The prince is in love with a court- dancer/entertainer. The royal tradition forbids to marry out of the nobility class. Th...

 What is life? Life is not knowing what life is. Life is seeing someone acing their game and  sighing “what a life!” Life is getting frustrated at every hurdle you come across and cursing “what kind of life is this?” Life is watching ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and resolving to take bold decisions because YOLO. Life is returning to being your own self the next morning. Life is working towards a dream and reassuring yourself, again and again, that it will come true…one day. Life is waking up one day to a horrible realisation that it is a slow journey towards a very sure death. Life is becoming  oblivious about mortality and taking things for granted. Life is never ending pursuit of ever eluding happiness. Life is seeing your beliefs change, sometimes, to the very contrary. Life is throwing a bunch of crap about what life is when one Sunday noon you are bored af! P.S. -   क्या है गर ज़िन्दगी का बस न चला            ज़िन्दगी कब किसी के बस में...