(I enjoyed re-writing this story taken from rediff.com)


A brave girl saves bullet-riddled brother’s life in a Naxal attack

Dantewada (Chhattisgarh): Even as Naxals continue to carry out atrocities on innocent villagers in Chhattisgarh to spread terror to prove their dominance against the government establishment, many incidents of bravery and resilience which occur in day to day life remain untold.

In one such incident, a 14-year-old girl bravely saved her younger brother's life after he was hit by bullets by Naxals when they attacked her home in Chhattisgarh.

Abhijit, the boy, survived a fierce attack when his home in Nakulnar area of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district came under fire from about 100 to 150 Naxals.

His uncle and another acquaintance died in the attack.

It so happened that on the night of July 7, Abhijit Gautam's family was asleep after celebrating his elder sister Anjali's birthday. She turned 14 that day. They were woken up with bullets and grenades after midnight.

His father, mother and brother fled to the first floor of the house, while Abhijit, his sister and grandmother were trapped in a room on the ground floor.

"They wanted my father. I did not tell them where he was. They also wanted his gun. I knew where the gun was, but I hid it under a bedsheet," says Abhijit.

The battle lasted three hours on that fateful night.

Narrating his experience, Abhijit says: "It was dark in the room. The firing from outside destroyed almost everything -- tiles, glass, lights, tables... The bullet hit my thigh, one injured my knee. In the dark I am not sure whether they could see who they were firing at, they were firing from all sides. I've heard Naxals don't kill children. I was bleeding so heavily -- you could fill half a bucket with the blood flowing out of my wounds," says Abhijit.

He tells how his sister, Anjali, a standard nine student, helped his survive that night.

She tied her brother's bleeding legs with a bedsheet, carried him on her back and ran out of the house that was under siege.

Anjali did not stop till she reached their uncle's house, half a kilometre from their home.


Police constable Narsingnath Yadav, one of those on guard duty at the house that night, was surprised to see that little girl’s courage, as he tells: "I saw her run out from my position on the first floor, "She was carrying him on her back and there was firing taking place from the gate. I asked her where she was going and she said she was taking him to their uncle's house."

"Didi should get the President's award for her bravery that night, " says Abhijit.

Anjali was lucky enough to have not suffered any harm to her body during the incident. Today, her father believes that the children will overcome the trauma of that night with the passage of time.

The children’s father Avdesh Singh Gautam says that his son showed so much bravery that night while the courage of his daughter saved his son’s life.

“She was adamant about getting him out of there inspite of the grave danger -- such is the power of a sister's love for a brother,” says Gautam.

"They were children and yet my son got hit by five bullets. He was bleeding and the Naxals wanted to know where his papa was. No one is talking about our human rights," says Abhijit’s father Avdhesh Singh Gautam.

Gautam has been a former vice president of the Kuwakonda Janpad panchayat for three terms (15 years). His wife Pushpa was recently elected vice president.

A member of the Congress party, he refutes his reported association with Mahendra Karma, Chhattisgarh's former home minister who launched the Salwa Judum tribal militia against the Naxalites, and denied being involved in any anti-Naxal activity that would make him their target.

He says that he has lived and worked with the tribals in his area. The Naxals don't like his popularity with tribals.

“I was also attacked by an AK-47 in July 2008. Some CPI (Communist Party of India) workers aligned with the Naxals are against me," he alleges.

The family observed the 13th day of the death ceremony of the passing away of their relative three days ago.

O mere Pind di Kuri........

I always wondered how it would feel if I came across anything from my previous birth or someone of my roots in Pakistan. While thinking of all this I always imagined it could only be some old person meeting me by chance and mentioning about the stories of my ancestors or his or her being known to them.

With the passage of time, when I turned 30, I lost all hope of coming across any such person. As in any eventuality that person would be over 90 to recall that time and mention it to me. The bleak possibility kept diminishing further in the last four years.

But i never knew He was keeping a track of my internal thoughts. And, here comes a girl in her early twenties mentioning something I couldn't believe for a moment. During my chatroom talks, we mentioned about our roots. And, she asked me the specific name of my ancestral village in Pakistan. I said it's "Kanjrur Dattan", as I was told by my late father.

She was surprised to hear this name, as she had it from her mother too. Suddenly, she went to her mother and returned with an pleasant reply: "My Nana ji belonged to the same village". Oh my my my...!! I couldn't believe that I could relate someone so loving, affectionate and caring to me for last so many years like that.

I had always asked her that I didn't know what fascinated me to talk to her always. She always took it like leg-pulling or a oft-repeated joke mentioned just like that. But that day both of us had found out the reason behind it. I was ecstatic and she was delighted too.

She promised me to visit my place and talk to my mother about our past. And, how we are related to each other at the roots. I developed a new sense of fascination for her presence in my life. I feel as if I have actually found someone from my past that I can relate to beyond relations with joy forever. Now, I affectionately call her 'mere Pind di Kuri.......:)

'Look-good', a phenomena men have largely failed to understand
(un-edited)
'Looking good' phenomena may have influenced the human kind since the age of Adam and Eve, but surely it has failed to die mainly because of the women community at large.

Even as women have always spent lot of mind, energy and money on 'looking good' , most of the boys have been found wanting. At least in women or girls' comparison.

Even if there maybe so much truth revealed in various of books on human psychology, the fact remains that women love to live like women and men as men. Most of them, if not all, have failed to benefit from the knowlege widely and openly available all around.

Good looks including maintaining a good hygeine or dressing to the occasion are just some of the most important things of winning hearts in abundance. But still many of the boys or married men, in particular, fail to learn it on time when it could matter a lot.

Utppal Chatterjee, Amol Palekar starrer film of ...........the .....70s or 80s revealed a lot about the lacunaes of men's personality and thankfully taught a lot to the ordinary men folk on how to improve. it may be some new Bollywood movies in future also point out this aspect of men's personality very prominently for some change, but it still remains a fact that boys have yet to realise the significance of 'looking good' as much as the girls or women of the day have realised it so deeply.

To be continued......

Private pictures and pornographic websites

By Sandeep Datta

While spending a good time with our loved ones or better half, most of us go so lost that we ignore some of the basic precautions, which may make us fall victim to any notorious intention in future. Getting clicked by camera in carefree postures is one such blunder.

A lot of married couples or lovebirds usually click each other for the sake of storing an unforgettable loving moment. But not many of them know how their private photographs start circulating on various pornographic websites.

Living in the Internet-age, none of us can afford to turn ignorant to dangerous of misue of photos even if it puts at state passionate moments or a romantic mood. Otherwise, the results could be fatal or cause lifetime personal embarrassment before entire family including children.

Today, there are many Internet websites carrying lakhs of family pictures and MMS of private moments, most probably, stolen or copy-pasted from personal computers of anyone of us. Don’t get shocked if you find anyone of your family members’ photo posted.

We need to remember, the computers are not the safest place. Somebody could be stealing everything out of it without our knowledge.

One of the risk zones is keeping such pictures in our personal computers instead of private CDs. The minute our computers go for mending, we are at the mercy of local engineers who may copy our titillating pictures for fun. It is these pictures that often end up appearing on porn websites. But most of the time we tend to avoid using brains.

MMS scandals, objectionable pictures, stalkers and blackmailers are well known facts of today’s love life. They can happen to anyone and anywhere. But like a stitch in time saves nine proverbs by being careful on right time we can save ourselves from personal ignominy for lifetime.

Despite being reported in various dailies or electronic media, not many of us are realizing the gravity of the problem. It is only these carefree individuals whose intimate pictures as love birds or honeymooners reach the adult websites. But do we still play safe?

We need to safeguard ourselves from becoming somebody's mediocre fun? We cannot commit a hara-kiri just when our loved ones’ life is at stake. We can circulate such trends and their implications by word of mouth or other communications.

We should be able to differentiate individuals showing respect to our feelings or simply playing with them for time pass.

Hundreds of MMS or photographs available on various websites these days do state a lot about the mindset of several notorious or revengeful minds. Such pictures, either clicked by questioning one’s integrity in lover or other tricks, only show the dangers of ‘blind’ love.

Once trapped, there is hardly any choice except approaching police for damage control. But why not behave a little intelligently by not getting into such traps at the first place?

The “who cares” attitude may look a stylish phrase, but it's dangers are seriously suicidal in the computer and cell-phone-age.

‘Honour killings’ a scar on civilized society

By Chaudhary Sandeep Datta

Living in today’s world where the proverbial thin line between love and lust seems fast vanishing, many Indian villages are cautious on attempts that threaten their family values and reputation being eroded by individuals’ amorous urge.

Though largely disapproving any justification given in support of taking extreme steps like ‘Honour Killings’, one can feel there’s a tacit approval in many villages for stringent measures to safeguard the ancestral village culture and family life.

The Panchayat that often comprise the wisest men of all communities residing in a village also finds itself too restricted to act justifiably against barbarism when the perpetrators cite the compelling reason being family and village’s pride.

Honour killing depends upon the nature of crime and families involved. In case of objectionable relations, the entire village may get driven to support it. Any aggressive or illiterate family may see killing the guilty couple or person as the only option to bring end to the matter. But any restrained or non-aggressive family may expel or disown the guilty member in same circumstances.

Besides, there are also politically motivated killings or for dictating one’s upmanship. But it is also true that, in case of a boy, the family asks him to mend his ways. In case of a girl, the same family’s preferred approach can be or is generally quite harsh.

“There have been instances at different villages where brothers killed their guilty sister and the father committed suicide out of shame. Some of the families, eager to demonstrate their muscle power, settle objectionable relations-related matters by killing their daring member. But other families, not having that much guts or mindset, would marry off the guilty person to some far off place to keep their family reputation intact and also keep the problem child away,” said Chaudhary Azad Singh Bidhuri of Jasola Village near Apollo Hospital in Delhi, while adding that usually, honour killing is a collective decision.

Honour killings are often done to set precedence and scare anyone daring to spoil village culture which disapproves relations not based on the unwritten village guidelines or any relation that may show village in poor light.

“No way the ‘honour killings’ can be justified in today’s world. Instead there could be social boycott of any unwanted person. Actually, such acts are generally taken to set a trend mostly by the most illiterate people. It’s also true that it is usually done as a family decision. I don’t believe any Panchayat comprising men of wisdom can be party to such a heinous act. If it has to take such a decision, it is only under intense social pressure of the village. But often it is the family concerned which resorts to prove its faith in ‘reputation’ by going so barbaric and killing their own flesh and blood,” Yudhweer Singh Chauhan, a freelance journalist and resident of Jasola Village.

In villages, there are many unwritten rules that include marrying in only specified villages, not conducting marriage within one’s own village as girls and boys of a village should treat each other as part of one joint family and thus behave like brothers and sisters, respecting the village way of life and abiding by Panchayat’s wisdom.

Anyone found going against its way of life and reputation is debarred from society, the family supporting the person also faces social boycott by villagers.

“We need to understand our villages exist as a structure where people have been living since generations with family elders. In cities, people have started living together though they originally belong to different places. So, in cities, people have no sense of attachment with each other’s family but in villages it does exist,” said Chaudhary Surinder Singh Bidhuri, resident.

“Parents of any marriageable person, in cities, often evaluate a family’s goodwill by its wealth. But, in villages, it is not the money but one’s existing reputation and goodwill in the society that earns him social respect,” Bidhuri added.

Another unwritten rule in village system is to settle issues including cases related to betrayal in money-lending, property disputes, social relations or love marriages in objectionable castes or relations have to be solved within the village’s Panchayat. Anyone going against the Panchayat’s verdict and getting approval from courts as per law instead of village culture, risks a social boycott.

“Even if the court gives its decision in favour of a person or couple, in cases related to love marriages or other social issues, the person or persons involved is socially boycotted. He stays in the village but is not allowed to participate in any social function. He has to live on his own till the boycott continues. It is only after a public apology after some years that he is given consideration to be included back socially in village,” Chaudhary Raghubir Singh Nambardar of Jasola Village.

For villagers, their old way of life remains the supreme thing. Their accepted norms and rituals defining its culture are abiding for everyone residing here.

“Anyone found contradicting village culture has to leave the place and live elsewhere as per his wished lifestyle. If denied, he or she faces expulsion either from the village or social boycott for his of her entire family for rest of the life at times,” Ch. Raghubir added.

“Anyone getting involved in any illicit relation, in a marriage relation or before that is prohibited to live in the village. Anyone seeking approval of his way of thinking or logic through court is often left alone in the village. One can live but cannot be part of the village as its member. For, the society in village doesn’t embrace such a person anymore and hence the social boycott,” said Chaudhary Jagansingh Pradhan of Jasola Village.

“A marital relation based on village culture gets acceptance and is also protected from falling apart. When need arrives, the rights of the wife are first protected by village elders and the man is expelled from the village,” said Chaudhary Moolchand Nambardar of Jasola.

In villages, Panchayat’s decision is the ultimate for all. It is usually in urbanized village that the concerned parties can seek refuge from the courts on being disappointed by Panchayat’s decision.

Though no civilized society can approve killing in the name of foolish honour but it’s also a fact that when any consensus-based request is presented for approval before the Panchayat or any authority in the world, it is respected at times. It cannot be outright ignored. In many villages, there have been incidents when the matter was brought to the knowledge of Panchayat after the crime has already been committed by a family against its boy or girl, the Panchayat found itself helpless. The reason being that the family involved cited the step was taken for family’s pride.
--

Searching for a life partner..?


Isn’t it surprising to notice the way individuals commit themselves to others for life with utter joy but regret later? These are the people who soon feel the craving to turn to others, just as they realise they made a wrong choice in haste.

On Sunday, while watching Serendipity I just felt like writing after all why and how we should or shouldn’t choose our prospective partner in life. After all life is not about moving from one flower to another like a butterfly only interested in the nector.

“We shouldn’t marry till we want to spread affection and sense of care in someone’s life instead of just expecting it. We shouldn’t marry anyone for money, as it may go any day. We shouldn’t marry for position, it has its own opportunity cost. We shouldn’t marry someone just beauty, it will fade within a few years and be replaced with a wrinkled face. We shouldn’t even marry someone for his or her romantic approaches towards us, as they often prove meaningless and superficial in actual life.

We shouldn’t accept someone for how he or she looked on special occasions but how that person feels to us in everyday life.
Instead, we must marry the one whom we may like forever spending time with, the one to whom we may turn to as the first or last resort when all things fail, somebody who is not just willing to do something or anything for us but also for whom we are happy doing anything or feel unhesitant giving up even our invaluable thing. For they joy of winning a heart lies in the joy of giving everything we can than just expecting it without gratitude.

The Ungrateful

The partition of Hindustan into India and Pakistan in 1947 was such a tragic incident that even after over six decades its pain is felt in various Mushaiyaras, Kavi Sammelans and occasional meetings of people from both sides of the border.

The exodus of people to either side of the border was biggest ever recorded in history books. Millions of people migrated to India from that side through Punjab borders. A large group of these migrants were Punjabi families, which suffered attacks on their way to India by their long time friends, neighbours, and well-wishers as part of mob violence.

Most of these Punjabis somehow managed to reach to Indian side leaving behind their ancestral properties. But even today many of these people develop goose bums on their body if they were to recall those terrible days of migration, the consistent fear of being slaughtered or looted or even physically molested.

It is said that an uncounted number of women preferred diving into the wells while running to save their modest from being outraged or save their girl children from suffering similar treatment from a chasing mad-mob that also included blood thirsty and savage individuals.

The lucky ones, who could reach the Indian borders, with or without families devoid of any belonging were offered shelter in the refugee camps, especially set up for their help. But due to limited resources the government wasn’t in a condition to arrange for their two square meal, clothes to wear or other basic amenities.

The then Jansangh or the present-day Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, a Hindu cultural organistion, came forward to help these refugee families in such a desperate time, irrespective of religion.

The women, the children, the elderly and the injured all were helpless and urgently required help to survive. And, at this moment, the RSS volunteers served them with a dedicated spirit and enabled them to feel actually sheltered at this pious land.

With the passage of time, the kids of that time are now aged; in their seventies or above. But they still recall the timely help extended to them from the RSS swayamsewaks at that time.

However, it shocks when one comes across the grown up children of those children of Partition days. It is wished they were narrated properly about those desperate days of Partition and families’ plight. Today these new-age children of those refugee families consider themselves quite 'modern' while condemning or making fun of RSS with other ignorants.

They call RSS as a fundamentalist or Hindu militant group! They consider that savious organisation as soemthing that aims to disturb communal harmony in India or the most cruel face of fundamentalism.

It is well-known that the political wing of RSS is today known as Bharatiya Janata Party and religious wing as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. But RSS as the mother of these two wings remains dedicated to the cause of protecting the right to life and respect of all Indians, without allowing discrimination against the Hindus in their own country and also without being oppose to the same right available to member of non-Hindu communities in the country.

But it looks galvanising to see such new-age kids speak ill of the very organisation which actually saved their mothers, aunts, and loved ones from dying or getting their modesty by not any Muslim but a mad mob which belonged to no religion or caste but should always be remembered or mentioned by its madness and savagery.

My meal and the winters...

It's been very very diffcult and agonisiing to search for food in the last two months. I have solely been dependent on a cup of tea, bread butter, maggie and lately on a nearby Tandoor for last two months following my mother's ailment.

Tea was the ulitmate source to keep my body warm after returning from office at 11.00 p.m or a little late at times during to 'important visits of dignitaries in foreign'. Driving in dense fog, the chill of the open route, and the sight of the Tandoor being closed at times was quite agonising. But I had no choice except to just rush up to have anything I found or could manage to access to at home and just retire into bed.

In the morning, I would again prepare tea but didn't get enough time to go and get breakfast. As, at the best I could get Chole Bhature or Kachori which I already have to take in lunch. And, it's double consumption could affect my stomach very badly. So I preffered remaining busy and forgetting I have to have something. Sometimes my busy ness helped, but most of the times it just reflected in my irritating mood. I would just rush to canteen everday for lunch time , the minute I reached office at 1.3o or 2.00, if work permitted.

Two or three friends were very very kind enough to understand my agony and limitations, as I don't know how to cook beyond maggie or tea. They brought sumptous food on days from home for me. I had tears in my eyes to see their sense of care and affection for me. I am indebted to their gesture.

At night I used to get late from office and whenver it was over 11.00 p.m. the Dhaba was closed. My meals have largely been Maggie or a cup of tea or at times bread and butter.

The neighbourhood Tandoor been a bliessing though as it prepares homely food which doesn't affect stomach.

I even arranged for my dinner from some local Dhaba for some days. But after seven days I stomach and through were badly affected due to it being a spicy food. I preferred cancelling it and restarted wtih teh Tandoor.

I used to rush to home to reach the Tandoor before 11.00. but at times it was closed by 10.30. As the other customers would visit it earlier dur to dense fog. It was actually very emotional feeling for me at times, whenver i slept with a cup of tea, which was at time not drinkable at times ...Kachi Pakki chai.

In the morning, I would again prepaer tea for myself but won't hve enough time most of the days to bring breakfast.

Chole kulche have been a blessing though. I had it like five days a week. On the other two days I would try to skip it for stomach's sake.
Canteen food was of immense help too. As it was the only source, which gave me actual complete food in entire day. Evenings have been for Chai.

Contd.....

It's true this had been a very scaring time for me becasue of my mother's health. Everyday passed in the fear that she should not get paralysed. Her brain stroke and occasion tilting of lips kept giving me goosebums. I always prayed insided my heart. Bhagwan bus ye sardiyan tapa de..... But it was also very difficult remaining occupied to justfiy salary, as it is the only source of earning, attending to phone calls with their own demands to talk, reading newspapers and surviving in the challenging phase of jobs despite always remembering my mother. The evening shifts were a blessing, as in morning I could spend time with her and fog and chill in air was nothing for that convenience. It simply felt convenience of different sort to me. But it was particularly in morning she always had difficulty, as it's been chilling all these days. My compulsion and biggest regret was I didn't know how to cook. And, she could not cook for her only Roti which she required for breakfast before having her first dose of medicine. Whenver there was trouble of lips, me or my elder brother would take her to our family physician, as she would generally have high BP in morning or develop sweating at 5 a.m.. I would come to learn of it only at 9.00 when i used to enter her room at first floor. I found it very very distressing and embarrassing to notice her in such a condition.

She would just say: Mainu zara doctor kol le javein ga? Maine paseena bada aanada hai sawere. Or..she would say at times...mainu doctor kol lai chal..blood pressure mahsoos ho raya hai. It pained me a lot for not being a Doctor or a proper cook to make anything available to her in that time also. I was solely dependent on Bhabhi's help, the indivudal i have never felt taking obligation from.

I know her moody temperament which could tranlate into obligation at any day of life. But as I was incapable in such a condition I allowed and didn't object she preparing Phulka for her in morning. I felt very nice that at least she is getting some help at home. In such a condition I was naturally oblivious to what was happening to me, as it never felt even a bit after watching her in such a condition. Mumma would never demand anything from me, as she was feeling guilty of not being able to cook for me.

Despite her suffering, which aggravated in morning, but reamined ok in day time during sunny days, she would enquire from my Thali at night what i had the previous night. It was actually very touching to see her love for me even in such a condition.

But I decided I would always have sth. to eat and sound as much as i can that I am completely happy with my night food even if it included Maggie or bread butter. But on days when I had just tea at night, I would pretend Office which kha ke aaya si....tumhe kuch nahin pata...ai te samjdhar hon di training ho gayi hai...hun main samajh raya han kivein Mere toon hostel wale mundey Khan-Khoon da arrangement kar lende ne. I tried my best to make her believe me that I was speaking truth and nothing but truth....but....I know she is afterall my mother.

Only once she uttered her pain saying: Tainu ki pata ...Mainu kivein lagda....jad main roti ne de sakdi tere layi....aur tu khali cup cha da pi ke Guzara chala lena hain....tu ki samajh na hain....mainu samajh nai aandi......bhudape which aa ke ....aini mushkil ho gayi hai....main badi sharminda haan. It shocked me. I was in tears in my bedroom.

Those words were an actual revealation of a mother's heart and belongingness with her child. I always thought I could befool her with my tactics. I forgot she was afterall my Maan.

By the way, she is improving a bit I believe. We still have to see a cardiologitst. But she can eat one chapati on some days, otherwise it doesn't go inside. milk, tea and don't know other, if any, liquid stuff is digestable for her in small quantities.