In dodo's head

I find myself in a sort of house arrest due to all the protests demanding for the ILP, a never ending tirade of drama and suspense. My heart is torn between feeling sympathy for the protestors who perceive ILP as the one solution of all our problems, and disgust at how blind these people can get. Peaceful protests are alright and necessary if one believes in the cause. But to bash up the mayangs, snatch their money and tear down their shops etc is just not tolerable. We must not forget ourselves and lock up our humane side while being swayed by this seemingly great cause. I feel such a great deal of sadness in how narrow sighted we have become. Something has caused us to become so violent, so angry at everything; those who don the khaki from amongst us have also not hesitated to show their animalistic side. This ILP will drive the mayangs away and bring us all the prosperity in the world. We will be the 'victors', forcing the State to succumb to our demands. Or we will not...

There is great jubilation on Independence day, amplified by the advent of social media, especially Facebook which now even lets you update the world on how you are celebrating Independence day. Being an Indian brings with it its own roller coaster of ups and downs. I feel pride in the laurels of my country and in the great personalities it has managed to produce from the most unexpected of settings. Singing the national anthem and listening to patriotic songs gives me goosebumps and a sense of great patriotism. But then I am more often than not shaken out of this patriotic stupor by the ground reality of it all. Being from a state like Manipur has meant that my sense of belonging to India is rather offset by a flicker of alienation. No matter how many years I spend on the 'mainland', somehow I feel like I am seen as an outsider. No matter how many years I spend wandering the streets of Delhi, the vendors and autorickshaw drivers and the hostel wardens will still hike up the...

This world tires me, with all its bullshit about optimism and passion, and the need for chasing one's dreams. The world's manuals rant about how the universe conspires to give us what we want and how we are all special and we are here for a reason and blah blah blah. And yet, there are many like me, filled to the brim with doubts. No answers, only questions. Many, seduced by the colourful hues of hope and the invincibility of dreams, often forget how harsh this rainbow-shitting world can be. How it is only one in every hundred dreams that is fulfilled. The remaining ninety nine turn to dust, floating around, wishing to be heard; brushed off from trophies and laurels that grace the abodes of the victors. The truth of the matter is- no one gives a crap about the zillion tea sellers in India, and when a man comes to power claiming to be an ex-tea seller, the world's never diminishing ego swells- they scream themselves hoarse- "Look here, see what we did- we made a tea...

It is as if a concoction of some sort has been added into the water or even air supply of the fabled land the name of which I shall not mention. What else could explain the animalistic tendencies that has been brought out in the masses these days. Pure anger and venom spill out from the mouths which open, while others resort to slingshots and stone pelting. Civilization, where have you fleed to. Humanity, why are you watching silently as these beasts tear each other apart. One for the apparently very noble cause, and the other for the three headed lion emblem bearing the words 'satyameva jayate'. The world weary wonderer can only wonder- will truth ever really triumph?