I don't know if you're thinking this, but I was:
What is wrong with Indian writers? Why do they think they deserve the right to defend the rest of us?
A couple of years ago, it was the one-time wonder-girl Arundhati Roy and now - Girish Karnad.
Why can't writers just stick to their novels and leave the activism to our paid activists? Argh!
When you are writer who isn't churning out the bestsellers like you did, faced with competition from young writers cum activists and 'Mr Opinion on every thing Indian' (read Chetan Bhagat), I think it becomes important to do something to grab the headlines by its balls and get trending.
The bad news is our writers often get their foot in their mouths, which is ironic considering how they are imagined to be expert wordsmiths and good with words.
The good news is we don't have as many writers as any other progressive country do. So we have to contend with the likes of Girishs, Chetans and Ms Roy.
Cheers to that!
Many many years ago, one of my girlfriend said something that I never forgot.
'If I can't have you, no one else should'
She may have said that in jest at the time but she meant every syllable of that statement later. When I wanted to break up with her, she did everything she could to cling on.
When was the last time someone tried to destroy you when they couldn't 'have' you all for themselves?
Chances are most of you will nod your heads in agreement.
Today, when I read about acid attacks and honor killings, a little shiver goes up my spine.
My ex knew all the right men and had all the right tact to have quietly taken care of me. I was living alone after all. But she didn't and for that I am thankful to God.
What does a parent achieve when they kill their son or daughter in the name of honor and pride?
I could see how they will react in a fit of anger and misplaced aggression, but do they really experience any remorse?
Where are they getting their ideas to kill from?
What are they gaining by snuffing out one of their own?
Are they trying to set an example for other parents and their children or are we witnessing a silent revolution of murder and revenge?
If you have seen the plight and agony that a burn victim goes through, you'll perhaps understand how life changes in just a few moments. Multiply that agony by a thousand and that is what a victim of an acid attack goes through.
Trapped in a body that does not make sense with a mind that can't fight anymore, most acid victims die a little every single moment until ...
An acid victim won't get much votes or publicity in a country as populous as ours. In the time that it has taken me to write this post, there has already been 1 honor killing, 1 acid attack and 4 rapes.
Time to stop?
