I received a mail from somebody in Orkut saying that there is one community which needs my attention. It was community called “We Hate India” (or something on those lines). Many of them, who received that mail, am absolutely sure, would have simply voted for a ban on the community (read “report as bogus”). I, for the first time, ventured into the community (which had a picture of Indian Flag being burnt as it profile picture).

The intro given there was funny: “The sole purpose of this community isn't meant to offend India...its about making few statements very loud & clear to them...its about having a group of people who have enemity for India just coz of its oppressive & hostile approach...no matter how much proofs & justifications you bring up for there are many things which can't be denied & they won't be...you can flood anyone's scrapbook by talking trash & by giving up false news & stuff but it won't make any difference...i don't believe on any friendship nor do i believe on enemity but India's inclined towards doing it & i can't see that happening...though i didn't do much beneficial for my country but i tried to refrain myself from supporting indians & in embracing their Kaleidoscope culture...its not about hating Indian people & their country...its about hating all those things which are against Pakistan...against me!!!”.

When I read it, I smiled to myself. I don’t know why. The guy tries to reason, or gives a reason for the hatred, but ends up as confused as are some terrorists in Kashmir. He doesn’t want to offend India, but at the same time hates everything Indian. Go down further, and you will see the topics in the forum even funnier. Indian Space program also has been mentioned as a spectacular failure and quite to their relief (????) and happiness. And they head to talk about Pakistan’s Space Shuttle project by 2020! (beware NASA)

Another topic is about why Islam is being targeted. He says that there is a huge conspiracy to derail the religion through the publishing Islamic holy book in different languages and people who follow it. Nice reasons I should say. He may be right, or may not be. But the fact that surprises me is why anyone would want to do that to a religion? Fine you follow a great religion, but why should we try to destroy you? What would we get out of it?

Somehow, the whole business of religion one-upmanship is really sick. The locality where I live should, IS the most secular with few Hindu temples, two big Mosques, few Churches and a Gurudwara to complete the list. Every now and then, due to some religious function or festival, a procession is taken out. Not just a procession, complete with all kinds of “noises”. No matter which religion it is. Last time one particular community did it, so we will do it bigger (make noise) than them. Now there are about 5 loud”est” speakers blaring all kinds of folk songs (yeah! Folk songs… ones much more horribly remixed than the DJs of all songs filmy and popular. So we have in tunes like jhalak dikhlajas etc etc actually blaring out devotional songs!!!!!

Coming back to the community in Orkut, few people of a particular religion hating India, in spite of being Indians themselves is very common. I hate to admit it but my own city has quite a sizeable number of this kind of population. Though debates have raged on them, nothing has changed. Increasing alienation of the people of such religion will do more harm than good. More and more number such people (youth in this case) can be attracted to anti-social activities. Not just a particular community, any community can be vulnerable. What do we do??

A famous temple city in this part of the world is contemplating on few new rules and regulations which include evicting people living in the temple town who don’t belong to that particular community. This is an absolutely absurd plan of the temple authorities!! How can they even think of such things? Instead of bringing up such controversial/absurd ideas why don’t they concentrate on the job at hand of pilgrim amenities, reducing the ridiculously long waiting times of about 80-90 hours for a darshan of the Lord and regulation of rampant corruption???

All said and done.... I forgot, this is how it is.
Amen!

Bureaucracy has deep roots in Indian system. I can’t speak much about other countries, because I don’t have much idea, but it is a clear case of hypocrisy when I speak of this “half-evil-half-good”.

I have recently been to a religious place, a place quite frequented by me. And each time I have been there, for the darshan of the God there, I should call myself a privileged person for I never waited (ok I did wait few times) in the long serpentine queues that are usually present there. Courtesy - my parents being government employees and some good connections to the higher-ups. This is very common in here. Everybody knows somebody influential!

However, the system here is different. The Lord/God here is very popular with everybody, from the common man to the uncommon, from the poor to the ultra rich, from the watchman to the Prime Minister, everybody comes here. But they don’t get equal treatment. So?? What’s the big deal in that?

The deal is ….

People complain that the well-connected and the rich can get away to a faster darshan, with less time spent in lines and queues, whereas the unlucky ones, sometimes spend close to 80 hrs for one darshan!!!!

You can complain, but, the authorities won’t take it. You might argue that every human is equal before GOD. Well they are!

“How clever!!” was the first thing that came up to my mind. Bureaucrats, relatives of bureaucrats, politicians, relatives of politicians (I guess you got the picture) all of them getting into lines well ahead, short-cuts, and just before the main sanctum sanctorium, all the lines merge!!! Result: E.Q.U.A.L.I.T.Y before Almighty!!!

Wah!!

Now why is there hypocrisy?? Because, I was recipient of one of these privileges and at the same time, am writing this!! Half the time in line I was wondering why? Why should these privileges exist and that too standing in on of the pricier “short” lines!!