Ode to 2012…………...and the life still goes on!!!

Finally the eve of the New Year 2013 is upon us and in matter of few hours the clock would start ticking in the New Year and most of us look forward to a happy and prosperous year ahead. The year 2012 had its highs and lows and few incidents that will be etched in my memory for years to come. The intense hype about the end of the world – doomsday theory simply fizzled out without causing any ripple and the preparation for the apocalypse turned out to be mere media spectacle throughout the world. Good that this was a misconception for I can still enjoy my life as it unfurls!!!

Bizarre news such as a Brazilian woman Catarina Migliorini auctioned her virginity online for US$780,000 whereas at the same auction a male virgin was only able to get US$3000 made waves in the month of October on the social media network. Savitha Hallappanvar an Indian housewife who suffered miscarriage was refused to be aborted in Ireland died because of their strict abortion laws and the social media outpour has now forced the catholic population of Ireland to relook into these abortion laws and amend the same to avoid future occurrence of such deaths.

Murder, rapes, chaos and mayhem was not lacking during this year and there had been multiple shootings in US that gripped the entire world. Shooting in the place of worship killed over 12 persons, shooting in Connecticut Primary school leaving over 27 dead out of which were 22 children- first graders. A rape case in the Indian capital New Delhi where a 23 year old woman was gang raped by 6 persons and then was brutally beaten with iron rod and thrown out of a moving bus galvanized the younger generation against the government and it saw clashes between the protestors and the police. Heated debates on most of the TV news channels for sweeping changes to the law so that stricter terms are in place against the offenders….some demanding death penalty and some life imprisonment for a rape. The rape victim who galvanized the Indian public breathes her last at a Singapore Multi specialty Hospital after having endured the traumatic conditions for 13 days. Finally a closure to the 26/11 Mumbai attack’s lone surviving LeT terrorist from Pakistan Ajmal Kasab, he was hanged just 5 day prior to the fourth anniversary of that attack on the Indian soil.

Some cheer in the field of science and personal achievements such as the landing of the robotic rover “Curiosity “on the Mars -red planet and the Discovery of the elusive God particle alias Higgs Boson after a span of over 4 decades using a large Hadron Collider (Atom smashing machine). Personal achievements such as Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and Felix Baumgartner’s incredible jump from the edge of space which is 24 kilometers above the surface hurled down at a speed of 833 mph thus becoming the first man to break the sound barrier without the aid of machine.

The above incidents or achievement has made me ponder about the fantastic life we lead in this universe and I do know there has been lot more incidents /events that has occurred in the world this year that you may be rated much higher than those I have recounted here…but then those mentioned here are my opinion!!!

Random Click 16 - Sea Gulls on Muscat Corniche

Last week i had been to the Corniche at Muscat along with my father and i found quite a lot of sea gulls on water edge. Here are couple of clicks

Random Click -15 - Flowers in Oman

People generally have a misconception that Middle East is a desert without an iota of greenery ...well it is not true, for the government here does make a serious effort to beautify the public areas by maintaining lawns,and planting flowering plants,trees. Roads in Muscat are adorned with flowers and it is quite pleasing to the eye.Here are few photographs of this season.

Random Click 14 - Mushrooms

Mushrooms just after the rains

Random Clicks 13 - Reservoir

My father who is on visit to Muscat ....his second trip to Oman likes to see various places and today being the weekly off we traveled about 100 Km from Muscat towards Quriyat where there is a dam known as Wadi Dayqah Dam. The reservoir created by the dam is quite beautiful and here is couple of pictures of the same.

Today the haze in the atmosphere did hamper the quality of the pictures yet looks great

Freedom of Speech in India – a Myth or a Reality

Article 19(1)A of the Indian constitution guarantee freedom speech to Indian citizen but then Three arrests in the last one month in India for voicing one’s thoughts in media against persons in power make one ponder if the freedom of speech is limited to privileged few in the Indian society…moneyed or in power people only. A common man’s freedom of speech or expression is subjective and is rarely a reality in India. I know I would have many critics against this post but then the examples that have been widely publicized in the media and the press does indicate what I say.

Image Courtsey : Google

The latest incident that happened yesterday in Mumbai is creating a furor across all sections of the population. Two girls had been arrested in Mumbai one for putting up a comment about shutdown of entire city on account of Balasaheb Thackeray’s funeral on the Social media network Facebook and the other for liking the comment based on a complaint file by a local Sena leader. Further a clinic of an uncle of the girl was attacked and ransacked by over 40 angry Sena activists because of the comment on FB. The girls were released on bail within hours after furnishing personal bonds but then the hasty action by the police in this matter to arrest the two girls under section 505(2) (statement creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes) clearly indicates the kind of clout men in power have.

The chief of Press Council of India has objected to the actions taken by the police and urged the Chief Minister to immediate action against the police official who arrested the two girls on urging of a local Sena leader. As usual this incident will die it natural death in couple of days but the two person who had been affected by this will carry the scare for a very long time. Steps need to taken by the authorities to ensure that all Indians have their freedom of speech as per the Indian constitution .

One of my friend casually stated that Gandhiji's three monkey theory needs to be changed to suit the present day India

Hear no bad ----Hear nothing told by men of power

See no bad -----See nothing done by men of power

Speak no bad----Speak nothing about men of power

Come to think of it,this is what now is happening in India these days.

 Sad !!!!!

Fear is the key !!!

My Colleague's bike

Whenever I see my colleagues riding motorbikes in a group going out on holidays I know that I am missing all the fun and adventure of biking. I used to be an avid biker few decades back and to be exact 33 years back ….when we guys used to zoom about in the city racing one another and having fun with the rush of wind on your face while riding. Those days few makes of the bikes were cannibalized and the end product would be owner’s pride and while it is ridden through the locality one would know as to who is driving by. Also another thing of the past was throaty roar of bikes whose silencers have been removed and the racket it creates while throttling used to scare other vehicles to veer away from the bike. There were times when we used to make trips from Chennai to Tirupati just for the heck of driving and used to have lodes of fun. But after one fateful day way back in 1981 when two of my friends were crushed to death under the city bus I stopped riding bikes and till this day still have the fear of riding one. 

It is said that once a person learns to cycle he/she can never forget to balance the two wheelers throughout lifetime similar to swimming so few years down the line my friends have tried pushing me to ride a bike and when I tried my whole body went rigid and I rode the bike similar to a beginner quite unsteadily…a psychological fear that has never left me!! Recently I was browsing the net and I came across portal sharing similar experience by persons and the remedy to such fear. They describe that immediately after such incidents or accidents one must not stop riding for a long period of time otherwise they would experience the feeling I have now. I am comfortable driving four wheelers and have been doing that from 1982 but then have stopped riding two wheelers.

I wish that I had not shirked away from riding a bike way back in 1981…. I would have had greater fun here in Oman.