Siege is over..... but terror is not

I am finding it desperately impossible to express my anger about the terror in Mumbai and the ruckus caused by the terrorists.

I am writing this blog, thousands of miles away from the city that I love the most.
I am a Mumbaikar,born and brought up in Mumbai and this city has seeped so much into my veins,my being that whatever happiness or tragedy happens here, it happens to my mental being....

Ironically, the events that took place at Taj Hotel, Leopold cafe, etc has made me restless and angry.
To an extent I feel defeated by the city's security force, cheated by the politicians and incompetency of the Naval forces.....

The 30 years I spent in this city has me bound me to its roots which are in impossible to cast off.
However, every new day I find myself asking are my friends and family members going to be safe? Why are we mumbaikars becoming so incresingly insecure? Now, we are not just ready to trust any stranger...and I would always wonder if the gentleman standing next to me in line or sitting at the opposite table in cafe is just a localite enjoying his food or waiting for the ticket or may be another terrorist.

Even though the people are talking about the "spirit of the city", using the "bounce back attitude' to go on with their businesses, or even "getting back on tracks" I feel totally humiliated and let down in terms of Crisis management.
It has left me wonder if there was ever,if any a program of Crisis Management run by the police force.

Why does our police force look so out of tune when in action? Why did the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issue such a weak statement? Where have otherwise smart orators like AB Vajpayee and Bal Thackrey and Raj Thackrey gone?Have the thoughts of politicians who rule this great land become impotent?
Why does Vilasrao Deshmukh need the company of Ram Gopal Verma to tour the Taj? does he plan to make another RGV ki aag? Thats simply ridiculous.

Not only me but my my fellow mumbaikars and my countrymen have been felt cheated and humiliated by this bandwagon. We feel let down.
Now, a Gandhigiri attitude is not going to be of any help. Its time we realise this blantant truth and act accordingly or there could be more Taj and nariman Houses at risk.

It's time to get an access to where the taxes go? Why does our Police force seem so ill- equipped? and are there not enough naval force to secure our borders then its time to start a placement campaign for security force too......

it's time to repay the dead... all those who died without a reason.
I salute the commandos and all the men who died in action.

Taare Zameen Par- Review.....

I loved the film. It's really an amazing film which the masses can relate to....
An everyday story, which everyone ,the teacher, the student and family members can relate to. It was also a good experience to watch a nice clean Hindi film with kids.
A perfect movie for all to watch from a perfectionist..... Aamir Khan.

In the movie its title itself specifies“Every child is Special”...and once you come out of the theatres you can really understand why it says so.One thing I liked about the film is that it relates to most of the kids and not just the Special Child, who may have some disabilities. As Aamir points out in one of the dialogues…all the fingers of our palm are not of the same size or shape. Its so true....I wish we were taught the same right from the start of our education instead of just throwing all the students in the rat race. Its a good lesson for parents who need to understand their child well as an individual and go slow with their kids at their learning stage and slowly mould them to the shape that they are willing to be moulded into.
The movie correctly shows what the unfriendly,insensetive education system can do to jeopardize a kids life, mentally and emotionally.

Ishaan(Darsheel) is a dyslexic child who hates to learn, read, write or simply "study".
He is constantly pressurised by his teachers to study and by his parents to show outstanding grades like his elder brother.Aamir Khan is able to bring out the real disaster in the education system when the teachers themselves point that they are not able to provide enough attention to the students and all they want is to get them ready for the race to excel in life.
It talks about the emotional churning of a Dyslexic child who is left alone with this inability that he is ignorant about but even his parents and teachers are not aware of. The poor kid is not able to match up with the expectations of everyone around him who wants Ishaan to excel in academics, sports and extra- curricular activities.

It is here, when the energetic, fun loving child Ishaan retreats into the shell of timidness and low self-esteem and loss of confidence, that Ram Shankar Nikumbh( wonderfully potrayed by Aamir Khan)carefully guides the boy’s attention to the fact that he was not the only one to face the problems that he had gone through. This he very easily does by listing out the names of those very famous and prominent entities as Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and many others in front of the class but excluding Ishaan's name and telling it to him in privacy. That catapults the little boy’s confidence back to its peak and he is slowly able to cope up with his disability with the help, care and love of Nikumbh sir. Towards the end, the scene in the movie, when Ishaan wins the drawing competition and he’s given standing ovation he can’t believe it. He runs crying into the safe and secure zone of his loving friend, guide and teacher
The movie looks so realistic in terms of treatment
It is not just an entertainment masala movie for three hours that one can just watch and walk out. It makes you think and ponder your own faults as parents, teachers and responsible adults.
So it’s a tale of effective parenting, a tale of insensitivity in our Indian educational scenario, and a tale of love of teachers who think and work for their students…..I wish that even if a 2% of teacher would learn a lesson from this movie, I am sure we would save a lot of kids from inferior complex and make them better individuals to lead their chosen path of life with self esteem.