Cheer girls

“Well ... I just noticed today ..... that their cleavage is not showing…..
Guess some noise has been made by the media already…”said one of my friends from the paki land. Hahaha..He was talking in view of cheerleaders at cricket matches which have become our latest burning political issue.

We all know Cricket is a religion for millions of Indian. What will happen when it is mixed with a fizzy of cocktail of cricket entertainment and celebrity shows?

It is the first ever multimillion dolor competition which has and will revolutionise the Indian minds that are basically starved of entertainment. The whole on ground event is designed to tap every body in the country purposely. It’s very simple and a straight blueprint for T 20 match which is served for the first time in a different platter. The platter offers Bollywood stars, Bollywood music, fireworks, stilt walkers, cyclists furiously riding around the ground, acrobats hanging from the stadium roof and all with 250,000 watt sound system and 75,000 watt light in the stadium.

Our politicians are also mixed in Bollywood brew and politicians who look for glare of publicity try to taste the flavor of publicity by raising issues which are baseless, silliest and dumbest and immaterial to them and for the country. Instead of working on issues they search for issues hog limelight. Why don’t we hear a debate on prostitution, infanticide, rape, murders, education system and poor sports infrastructure in our legislatures? Why do things like rape and child prostitution never become a political issue? Could it be because our politicians see these things as an integral part of Indian civilization? Are there any dearths of issues in our country? Why are politicians raising questions about the cheer leaders in the T20 cricket tournament?

In star-struck, society conscious India, Bollywood stars leads their fans to love and hate what they love and hate. Cheerleader’s are being utilized for political beliefs in Mumbai. The hypocrisy is interesting...why not the same guidelines for Indian movies and TV programs! Politicians of the Mecca of entertainment city say cheerleaders are "vulgar and obscene".

“Well .... ... From ancient times ... men have been fascinated by women's curves, they are attracted towards the curves.... That’s the only reason women show them off as well. Why does the politician feel annoyed with the observations and assumptions” said another friend of mine from India. “Bollywood is pretty much getting carried away too and the censor boards becoming a little too relaxed “so who will protest next. On the protesters who are not protesting for this.

Well Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Why are we not looking at the cheer leaders as professional cheer leaders? They have been called to entertain the crowd. Theirs nothing obscene and vulgar, I think it’s a part of the sport. That’s there job and they are doing it not forcefully, as few women activists are also concerned about women all of a sudden. They are being paid for their jobs and I don’t think they act like they are trying to seduce, it’s just that they are trying to increase the energy levels of the spectators; the more energy there is in the stadium better it is for the players.... They get all pumped up and perform at their best

Vast majority of the audience is enjoying and having fun and of course a little majority of the perverts must be enjoying too. Khajuraho is a twisted freaking fantasy of someone why don’t they close it said another friend from Delhi. Well ... I think mallika sherawat is more vulgar with or without clothes..... So why do they go to watch her movies? How many of these politicians have raised issues that concerns corruption or about a corrupt politician, rape etc ... it’s always the media or activists, or normal people among us who gets concerned.

Being from the entertainment territory I believe that all the entertainment will not distract from the game. The game is holy and so are the intentions. The cricket and the entertainment is a new endeavor and it’s not uncomplimentary at all. The cheerleaders have been introduced into the Indian Premier League as part of moves to add glamour and entertainment to the game. The American concept of cheerleaders at sporting events has been replicated here to add a dash of glamour and entertainment. The cheer leading girls, wearing short skirts and low-cut tops, have been hired from around the world to perform.

Who will decide the 'Lines of decency’ is a question? It is difficult to enforce moral policing, we cannot define vulgarity always. It is difficult to ascertain what is vulgar and obscene. Who are these senior officers who would decide whether the cheerleaders had crossed the "lines of decency”? The regular and the routine arguments given are “We live in India where womanhood is worshipped. How can anything obscene like this be allowed?” this is from top to bottom Double standards. I find this resentment completely misplaced because it’s coming from a city which is a home to a thriving industry of Bollywood films where dance sequences featuring women in skimpy dresses are routine.

Even the head of India's National Commission for Women said "there was nothing wrong with the cheerleaders if it is just for adding entertainment to the game". I am sure it’s presented in the right manner keeping Indian values intact.

Our moralizing politicians should be sent to watch the latest offering from Bollywood, so they can see that cheerleaders look fully clothed when compared with what Indian actresses wear these days. Perhaps, the self-appointed guardians of Indian civilization should grasp that cheerleaders are baby stuff compared to the oldest most explicit text on love-making known to mankind and temples so sexy, they make Mumbai’s banned bar dancers look like nuns. This is without mentioning that the average, conservative Indian woman bears her midriff automatically if she wears a sari.

In the name of sanskriti we cannot speak inane. We cannot preserve sanskriti/culture if you do not understand what that colossal word brings in its fold.

Sadly it has to be said that the Indians who understand Indian civilization the least are our politician’s. It’s the illiteracy in our country why cheerleaders have become the subject of our current pathetic political debate.

We should enjoy cricket as one of the means in the entertainment starved country where the aam aadmi has no way of recreation…except procreation.

Avoid traffic jam

Bhopal city is loosing its sheen big time in few areas.
There are numerous reasons for the traffic problems in the city. But prosperity and traffic sense is the main reason for destroying the peace on the roads. In fact i blame banks executives who force the youth to take vehicle loans and adds to the traffic jam and chaos.

On occasions of festivals, rallies, protests, processions, VIP movements, the roads becomes impossible as the strength of the traffic police is too small to deal with the magnitude of the vehicles . It’s completely ineffective as the police is not well quipped.

In few residential and commercial areas bad roads are an understatement. Clogged roads, civic work issues, lack of infrastructure support makes the traffic snarl.

The snail like movement, no planning, no awareness of the administration adds to the problem of traffic of the beautiful city.

Every 2 km one finds a rotary, a monster being erected to highlight the politicians and their banners. Rotaries are hindrance than assistance in the small city. Very little parking areas are formed in the public and commercial zones which is adding to the crisis. And if at all they are, they are being misused under the nose of the administration .Basements designed for parking are being used for the commercial purpose flouting the norms and rules.

But to add more to these problems the traffic sense stand on the top for creating traffic turmoil. The traffic sense is missing big time within India. People are literate but they act as illiterate.

Why cant the office timings can’t be made flexible. Why there should be a concept of rush hour. One can negate the concept of rush hour by giving flexible working hours to the employees.

Traffic problems has its roots not in the narrow roads designed poorly , not in the large quantity of vehicles on roads, not in the lack of education as some want us to believe, not due to poor signage nor in the fact that we are a population of economically poor .

The crux is the sense and the sensibilities. - where and when did we loose our civilised ways of living .Uffff, the mutual respect for each other, value attached to life, to the self gratifying, wild way of living in a society.

The moment we have a jam we hear a honking competition and at least I look out for the person who will be forced to make his vehicle an airplane. People have to be made sensible to follow the traffic rules because innovative engineering solutions will not help with the deficiency of susceptibility. They will fail completely.

Where and Why have we lost our ability to be rational , use our common sense and receptiveness - We must be asking ourselves why we are in such a hurry that almost habitually most drivers start honking as signals turn from Orange to Green or how much time would be saved by stopping at signals well beyond the stop lines.

Creating awareness is no doubt a measure to curb the problem but strict rules are an only answer to deal with this menace.

no doubts good signage, road mapping, proper signals, meticulous planning are must in our city to make the traffic more disciplined .

.http://blogathon.in/2008/04/20/traffic-jam-by-bhoplbloggersgmailcom/

Bhopal Carnival begins with chaos

I was not at all thrilled when Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) released the calendar of the activities for the week long Bhopal Carnival. The carnival is to be organized by them for the first time in the history of Bhopal.

The timings, the activities and the events looked as if no planning had been done. It looked half hearted planning. The activities in the event do not represent Bhopal’s culture nor had a zing to evoke the response the inhabitants. The calendar looked completely mixed-up.

The aim and intention of organizing a week-long Bhopal Carnival between April 19 and 26 is to promote tourism and develop the State capital as a major tourist hub. Absolutely fine but the calendar completely lacks vision. Except that of batole bazzi which Bhopal is famous for?
No activity in the seven day looks enchanting. There is nothing which is promoting culture, tradition, music & dance , art and theatre, cuisine , place, destination, picnic spots, heritage & handicraft, The objective of the Bhopal Carnival does not match with the activities at all as they don’t showcase the vibrant culture and milieu of the city.

Although one thing they tried is uniting couple of department’s like Culture department, Nagar Nigam and Bhopal development authority to make the event grand.

As a person who has been in the trade for almost a decade I saw it as a waste of Rs 50 lakhs. Straight down the drain. In this amount a national event could have been created and also history.

Let’s see how the carnival comes up. Although the first programme organized under the banner of the Department of Culture was extremely pitiable in every sphere.

The artiste they choose was Roop Kumar Rathod. No doubt an excellent singer but the organizers failed to attract more than 200 odd people. The Chairman Tourism & Mayor looked baffled on the stage.

The sound system was pathetic. From the anchor to Roop Kumar Rathod in the whole show they kept adjusting the sound monitor. It looked utterly disgusting. The department showed their standard. The bankruptcy of ideas by the culture department of MP was shown by calling the artiste instead of artistes of Madhya Pradesh. Least realizing the event was to promote tourism and showcase the best of Bhopal.

The event was missing on plenty of things.

Poor choice of the venue.
No publicity was done.
No invitations were sent.
No proper backdrop /or stage design was erected.
Lack of arrangement in terms of light, sound and decoration.
No vision for an event in terms of artistes and musical night.

Let’s see aage ……

Pope and the red loafers

Should the pope die or become too ill to continue as pope? was the first line I read to know about the present Pope in the January 2005 Time magazine which caught my attention. It quoted unnamed Vatican sources as saying that Ratzinger was a front runner to succeed John Paul II. Even before his election as pope in April 2005 he was identified as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.

I can’t forget the Benedict's first public appearances on April 19, 2005 when Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the successor to Pope John Paul I. His cassock was way above the ankle, revealing white socks and bright red footwear.

Yes the bright Red Footwear…The hem was soon lowered a few inches, although he still prefers a sporty around-the-ankle look instead of having the cassock draped over the shoes. Those red shoes made quite an impression.

loved the way he said "At a certain point, I prayed to God 'please don't do this to me'...Evidently, this time He didn't listen to me"

His red Loafers gave him the name the” Prada Pope”.With his penchant for designer-Gucci eye wear and Italian shoes, Pope Benedict XVI is a style icon.

By switching tailors for his taste and comfort he led to "cassock wars" in the holy city by allegedly switching allegiances from the company which has made papal robes for over 200 years to a tailor who has only been in business for a tenth of that time causing Vatican row .

The vintage styles have turned Benedict into something of a fashion celebrity. There have been plenty of companies presenting him the products but his fashion statement never fade away. Be it by donning a red velvet cape trimmed in ermine for the traditional papal visit to the statue of the Madonna or a fur-trimmed stocking cap he wears in winters to save himself from cold.

In fact he walk daily across St. Peter's Square from his home just outside the Vatican walls to his office, wearing a black beret and black overcoat and carrying a worn leather briefcase.

He is fond of playing Piano -Mozart and Bach for relaxation and pleasure. I read somewhere that his former housekeeper Ingrid Stampa was a music teacher before she came to Rome to keep house for the cardinal. They used occasionally to play duets together. She taught the viola da gamba, an antique stringed instrument resembling the modern cello.

But his alliance for brands has always raised questions and doubts?? Like the LG Prada (KE850) phone and Iphone Apple Inc..

Yesterday while watching a news channel once again Pope Benedict XVI Red Prada Loafers at the US trip caught my attention. The visit to tune with the Americans and the President of US is one of the biggest tests for Pope Benedict-To heal the wounds of the sex abuse scandal that rocked the American Catholic Church in 2002…..

Coming back to the stylish professorial Pope a man who knows what he likes…
He loves music, cats, gadgets and is fond of Brands which have always given me fodder for my thoughts.

Because…….. he has always condemned excessive consumerism, especially among youth. He was quoted in International Herald Tribune in December 2007 saying that "Adolescents, youths and even children are easy victims of the corruption of love, deceived by unscrupulous adults who, lying to themselves and to them, draw them into the dead-end streets of consumerism.".

Benedict also said. “Even the most sacred realities, like the human body ... Become objects of consumption — and this (happens) ever earlier, already in preadolescence," the pope has always complained, to early fascination with fashion and physical self-image. "How sad it is when young people lose the marvel, the enchantment, of the most beautiful feelings, the value of respect for one's body,"

But the bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter, chief of the whole Church, and the Vicar of Christ on earth association with Prada, Gucci, BMW, and Cartier is equating of personal happiness with the purchasing of material possessions and consumption. NOT OF VANITY

Health, friends, fame, wealth, pleasures, singly or all combined, are incapable of filling the void in our hearts. Though in their measure desirable, all earthly goods are limited, and man's capacity for good is unlimited.
………….

Bob Dylon "Blowing in the wind"

I have been obsessed over with his lyrics. He is a poet and prophet for a rebellious generation. His songs hug numerous religious references and he has claimed Chekhov, Walt Whitman and Jack Kerouac as influences. His memoir, "Chronicles, Volume One," received a National Book Critics Circle nomination in 2005 and is widely acknowledged as the rare celebrity book that can be treated as literature.

And now Pulitzer wall has finally been broken.

Making history as the first rock and roll artist to be honored Bob Dylan the singer, songwriter, author, musician and poet is finally recognized for his profound impact on popular music. Famous for lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize on Monday, April 7 2008.

It’s the great classic songs delivered in Dylan's ageless style which has brought rock from the streets to the lecture halls They don't make them like this anymore. If anyone deserves to go down in musical history, it is this man.

A few of today’s singer-songwriters also identify how Dylan’s art influenced their own lives and careers. Dylan has had stories behind his greatest songs and other memorable moments. Historical contexts are there to his credit and behind.

"I am in disbelief," Dylan fan and fellow Pulitzer winner for fiction, Junot Diaz said of Dylan's award. Diaz spent Lott of time on his work which also included a loads about Dylan and his poetry.

Dylan writes lyrics that are inherently poetic and song collection as random and diverse as Dylon himself. The great stylistic vigor of the text, the juxtaposition, the use of plain statements and direct address to us –the audience, Dylan’s lyrics urgently call for a hermeneutic and imaginative response on the part of the listener.

At any pace, we are no longer just a fan, or a consumer, but we are made a producer and a creator of the meaning of the text.

Besides diverse the poetical projects that Dylan has launched in his career, be it preaching in songs, short-story songs, blues songs, symbolist songs, lyrical songs, and so on, his striking literary abilities have always led him into the empire of the writers.

His techniques of stretching the line far beyond the measuring device, used in the song by adding line after line adds a sense of urgency, vocal virtuosity, and danger to the performance and is much loved by fans.

Frequently used are breaks, which often create new, unexpected meanings or erase existing meanings examples are- “Sugar Baby” or “Man in a Long Black Coat”.

As a writer Dylan doesn’t just create a fictional universe of his own but also offer a great deal of his creative energy into the creation of a whole universe of identities thus invoking and inviting to take part in his creation.

We have become spectators of the imaginary biographies that he unfolds throughout his career for entertainment value, but also for real metaphysical and moral purposes.

Long live The Genious!

MP Human Rights Commission

The Chairman,
Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission.


Subject: Violation of the basic human right of ‘right to work’ by a corrupt IPS officer. Mr Pawan Shrivastava


Dear Sir,


This is to bring to your kind notice the misdeeds of Mr Pawan Shrivastva, an IPS officer, presently holding the charge of Director Culture Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Mr.Pawan Shrivastava, for reasons best known to him has been harassing me for the past one year. I run an event management company and through an open tender process was awarded the work of organizing events for the cultural department and various academies that work under it for the year 2006-2007.

Mr Shrivastav joined as director in Fe 2007.I was made to do work till as late as August 2007 and payments due for the work done were withheld without any reason. Mr Shrivastava wanted a 30 % cut but when he did not get the same he started creating problems and in the end blacklisted my firm saying I had not provided good quality sound at a function in the governor’s house in August 2007. Sir, the Governor house did not have any problem with my work and till date I continue to organize their events.

Mr. Shrivastava got those very people back to work who had been fleecing the department and the tax-payers money for the past many years without any tender or transparency. The sound provided by these people was such that artists of international acclaim like Ghulam Ali and Suresh Wadekar criticized it from stage. The media reported extensively the next day about how the artists were harassed (newspapers reports of these events are attached)

Clearly Mr. Shrivastava wants these people to continue doing the work irrespective of the fact that they are not up to the mark.Recently in March 2008 Bhojpur Mahotsav faced problems.

My only fault is that I tried to earn a living by doing my work honestly and refused to give a cut to the corrupt officials.

Sir Mr. Shrivastava has a record of harassing women and when posted as SP Bhopal a lady officer who was subordinate to him had registered a case of sexual harassment against him. I can not register any case against him and all my complaints from the Secretary culture MP to the State Chief Secretary MP have so far yielded no results.

Sir, Mr Shrivastava is violating my basic human right—right to earn a living-- by not letting me make a living through honest means.

Sir please look into the matter and oblige.


Regards and in hope of justice,


Shehla Masood.
April 5, 08.

Complaint already being lodged in LOKAYUKTA , EOW, Chief Secretary MP,A CS- home,DG MP,Sec-Cultural,Chief Minister MP etc

A culture of greed and greed enthusiasts

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote thousand of years back that "there is no calamity greater than the lavish desires,no greater guilt than discontentment and no greater disaster than greed". If he's right, we've invented a fictitious and a mighty falsely below the par world for ourselves.

Human beings continue to be reshaped and reformed by consumer culture. We are getting restless, dissatisfied and with all desiring economic put ups, greed is being redefined as a virtue and a legitimate guiding principle.

The method, the arrangement undermines the social fabric and is an undemocratic force. Asperity and general happiness is to be questioned.

The process is steadily eating away at the foundation stone of civilized society and undermining the visions, values and collective aspirations that made us strong.

At the same time without greed, our current economic and social structures would implode. No one has been able to construct a society where communal altruism dominates individual greed. We simply cannot have unrestrained greed and equality.

Equity is getting bulldozed every day.

Freedom is wearing down, social fabric is getting demoralised and unstable.

The damage is not being controlled.

The undemocratic forces are taking the charge.

Greed is beginning to overwhelm conscience, love, family bonding, compassion, community , reasons and morals.

The short sighted goals are leading to the destruction of our planet. Will this monumental problem be deciphered.

Felt like writing………and exploring