“Stray dogs maul 9 year old kid in Bangalore”
“British tourist turns prey for Australian Dingos”
“Baboon looking for food kills baby in Africa”
Since Adam and Eve, humans have been placed right on top of the food chain. For thousands of years, we have been adept at taming and domesticating wild animals for our benefit. The Dog is today man’s faithful friend and cats are considered cute and cuddly. However, the past decade or so has turned the relationship on its head. Canine menace is no longer reserved for Hitchcockian thrillers. Primates like the baboon have bared their fangs at the thought of being transformed into objects of exhibition. The hunter has finally realized that the age of being hunted is nigh.
Incidents of animals preying on man are no longer isolated cases of misinterpreting human expressions for distress signals given out by potential prey. The opportunity of an easy meal is too tempting for a predator to let go. A human unarmed is as good as a fawn in flight. Reports of leopards and tigers hunting down man have become increasingly common.
With the line of differentiation between natural prey and select social animals like humans slowly fading, we arrive at one logical conclusion for the change in behavioral patterns exhibited by predatory animals – are we responsible for the perpetration of the imbalance in the ecosystem? In hindsight, it seems quite likely. Reason or no reason, this is certainly a cause for grave concern. The only feasible solution is to know our space and respect that of the animals. Wanton acts of demonstrating who is superior will only lead to our substitution at the bottom of the food chain.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Dark Knight's Dark Tale!
Should have added this a long time ago (wrote it for Instablogs then :) )
Superheroes work on an agenda; an unsaid rule that delegates them the responsibility of saving the world from the dark forces. Bestowed with superpowers abundant, these ‘men on a mission’ have enthralled us since time immemorial. Darth Vader, The Joker and Lex Luther are mentioned in hushed tones, while Superman, Spiderman, Captain Planet and their tribe have transcended imagination to establish a stronghold on the psyche of those who dare to step into the world of fantasy. Amidst the clutter of these invincible superheroes, a mortal hero had risen around a century ago. He couldn’t dodge bullets, jump 30 feet across buildings, evade laser beams or stare-stop a pellet burst. A disturbing childhood, a dark past and black-winged creatures spurred his pent-up emotions, eventually creating a merciless caped crusader; a criminal’s worst nightmare. A legend was born and a legion ensued. And, we had a hero who was vulnerable, emotional, given to carnal pleasures and yet, fearless, intelligent and disarmingly charming – a man every other man can identify with.
Superheroes work on an agenda; an unsaid rule that delegates them the responsibility of saving the world from the dark forces. Bestowed with superpowers abundant, these ‘men on a mission’ have enthralled us since time immemorial. Darth Vader, The Joker and Lex Luther are mentioned in hushed tones, while Superman, Spiderman, Captain Planet and their tribe have transcended imagination to establish a stronghold on the psyche of those who dare to step into the world of fantasy. Amidst the clutter of these invincible superheroes, a mortal hero had risen around a century ago. He couldn’t dodge bullets, jump 30 feet across buildings, evade laser beams or stare-stop a pellet burst. A disturbing childhood, a dark past and black-winged creatures spurred his pent-up emotions, eventually creating a merciless caped crusader; a criminal’s worst nightmare. A legend was born and a legion ensued. And, we had a hero who was vulnerable, emotional, given to carnal pleasures and yet, fearless, intelligent and disarmingly charming – a man every other man can identify with.
Batman is not your archetypal superhero. Yet, he is the character our frustration for the corrupt system can feed of. He is what you have always dreamt to be, sans the mask. Despite his dual-faced nature, Batman’s likeability lies in the character’s perfect manifestation of a vengeful, wronged man. And his dark bearings hold little to restrain the aura that precedes him. Batman is a superhero who has overcome his ‘worst fear’ to rid the world of theirs. Ironically, he is one of the very few superheroes who have no detractors among the people he fights for. Cloaked by the shadows, he battles the very evil that sullied his youth. The ‘Dark Knight’ finds a screen representation this Friday and there’s more to the event than a visual treat. It will reiterate a message!
Take a look around you and witness a murkiness similar to Gotham City. You are left with a choice. And if I may whack a line from ‘Batman Begins’, it is not what you are but what you do that defines you. Find the crusader inside you!
Pssst…there is another masked hero who fights crime outside the concrete jungle. More on the ‘Phantom’ later…
Sunday, January 11, 2009
OUTRUN!
By the time you guys read the second line in this post you would've figured out who has written it :) Not Alpheus obviously :)
Our visit to the beach had me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt :D, whenever i think about it now it still makes me smile :)
After eating too much he decided we should take a walk and we went randomly walking around the sand (not close to the water) for some reason looking at most of the food stalls one by one. As usual i was looking up to the sky and realized it was close to full moon day. And apparently walking in no direction we landed close to the water. As always i asked him to get into the water, to which he always says NO. I was pleading for the same trying to get him to agree to get into water with me, tugging at his hand. Saying NO, and letting go of me, he walked closer to the water as the waves were coming in, i stood there with a slight frown on my face. He just stood there close to the water. After about 30 seconds i ran up to him and pleaded him again to get into the water. I was jumping up and down (like jack in the box) saying "Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." Distracted and amused by my hyper pleading he tried to ssshhh me so that we dont attract too much attention of onlookers :)
TOO LATE!!! A huge wave came towards us and crashed on the mound on which we were standing, we were both soaked, with shoes in water :) and with a "shit" Alpheus started running backwards - away from the wave. It was such a funny sight, i was already laughing as the wave had hit us and couldnt help laughing as i saw the wave OUTRUN him and follow him till where he ran :)
He stopped as the wave slid back and i ran towards him (laughing) and said "Serves you right!" The look on his face was utter astonishment as to how the wave had managed to soak him when he had DECIDED not to get into water :) . He said " I didnt think the wave would keep coming at me."
We sat down for a while trying to rid ourselves of the sand in our shoes. And i couldnt stop smiling. (Okay, I know it doesn't sound funny enough, but you should've been there!).
Alpheus kept a watch on the waves now as i was telling him how neither of us realised since it was almost a full moon the waves would come more inland. All he kept saying was "Why did i have to go and stand so close, what was I thinking!" :)
- Sylvia
Our visit to the beach had me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt :D, whenever i think about it now it still makes me smile :)
After eating too much he decided we should take a walk and we went randomly walking around the sand (not close to the water) for some reason looking at most of the food stalls one by one. As usual i was looking up to the sky and realized it was close to full moon day. And apparently walking in no direction we landed close to the water. As always i asked him to get into the water, to which he always says NO. I was pleading for the same trying to get him to agree to get into water with me, tugging at his hand. Saying NO, and letting go of me, he walked closer to the water as the waves were coming in, i stood there with a slight frown on my face. He just stood there close to the water. After about 30 seconds i ran up to him and pleaded him again to get into the water. I was jumping up and down (like jack in the box) saying "Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..." Distracted and amused by my hyper pleading he tried to ssshhh me so that we dont attract too much attention of onlookers :)
TOO LATE!!! A huge wave came towards us and crashed on the mound on which we were standing, we were both soaked, with shoes in water :) and with a "shit" Alpheus started running backwards - away from the wave. It was such a funny sight, i was already laughing as the wave had hit us and couldnt help laughing as i saw the wave OUTRUN him and follow him till where he ran :)
He stopped as the wave slid back and i ran towards him (laughing) and said "Serves you right!" The look on his face was utter astonishment as to how the wave had managed to soak him when he had DECIDED not to get into water :) . He said " I didnt think the wave would keep coming at me."
We sat down for a while trying to rid ourselves of the sand in our shoes. And i couldnt stop smiling. (Okay, I know it doesn't sound funny enough, but you should've been there!).
Alpheus kept a watch on the waves now as i was telling him how neither of us realised since it was almost a full moon the waves would come more inland. All he kept saying was "Why did i have to go and stand so close, what was I thinking!" :)
- Sylvia
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Existence Theory!
Change is often unacceptable, evolution isn’t. It is weird how the world parks its gray cells in two presumably varied realms of thought when, at the outset, the difference is only perceived. The flaws of a ‘surface dwelling’ educational system, I must say! Veering back to my original hypothesis…do we really belong to an organized, cogent community of people with ingrained pragmatism or is it just hypocritical acceptance of a notion that not most of us truly believe in. I am sure the guy who penned the line – the most definitive rationale yet – ‘change is the only permanent thing in life’, would have had no illusions about the ‘impermanence’ of his timeless thought. Not that he would have cared too much, though! It still exists.
Change alters identity; evolution enhances it – attributing a whole new dimension to one’s personality. A paradox forcefully straightened! An incorrect statement, ‘coz there is certainly no inverse to a paradox, which is precisely why we employ ‘situational convenience’ to prove our point. It is easy to make your neighbor believe that dragons existed in the past and had taken the path of evolution to become Komodos today. Not quite easy when you tell him that dragons ceased to exist when the world ‘changed’, geographical plates shifted and new life emerged (the old order changeth, yielding place to new, huh!!). Wild imagination, he would say!
It is surprising how two different perspectives to the same fact can yield contrasting results. At the same time, I don’t see why people can’t accept the fact that Yetis exist. Does Charles Darwin have to be inarguably right about his ‘natural selection’ theory, all the time? Times, sure as eggs, are changing, accept it or not! And his theory has to change. ‘Coz people change; they do not evolve. Try accepting change and it wouldn’t be hard to believe that Yetis, Unicorns and Centaurs still exist!
Change alters identity; evolution enhances it – attributing a whole new dimension to one’s personality. A paradox forcefully straightened! An incorrect statement, ‘coz there is certainly no inverse to a paradox, which is precisely why we employ ‘situational convenience’ to prove our point. It is easy to make your neighbor believe that dragons existed in the past and had taken the path of evolution to become Komodos today. Not quite easy when you tell him that dragons ceased to exist when the world ‘changed’, geographical plates shifted and new life emerged (the old order changeth, yielding place to new, huh!!). Wild imagination, he would say!
It is surprising how two different perspectives to the same fact can yield contrasting results. At the same time, I don’t see why people can’t accept the fact that Yetis exist. Does Charles Darwin have to be inarguably right about his ‘natural selection’ theory, all the time? Times, sure as eggs, are changing, accept it or not! And his theory has to change. ‘Coz people change; they do not evolve. Try accepting change and it wouldn’t be hard to believe that Yetis, Unicorns and Centaurs still exist!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Mankind and Religion
Religion has had a significant role to play in shaping the human psyche. Since time immemorial, man has associated religion with the occurrences in his daily life. Strokes of fortune or misfortune have been considered the manifestation of the will of God and the concept of religion has not been contained within the boundaries of rational thought. Religion extends beyond traditions and faith in the divine powers. Although religion had been initiated as a practice of meditation and worship, over the years, the concept has evolved to become a personal identity. People are referred to as a Christian, a Jew, a Moslem or a Hindu and not in degrees of faith that a person has in the divine will of God.
Religion has evolved into an organized system of matching individual beliefs. Myths and superstitions have seeped into the fabric of this system. People with common beliefs belong to a particular religion and any disparity leads to alienation from the institution. The concept of the existence of a supernatural power and our duty towards establishing a strong relationship with this power once formed the basis of religion. However, modern society views religion more as a reflection of one’s superiority or inferiority than a tool that binds us with the grace of the almighty God. Religion was once the instrument of peace and solidarity. However, man has begun to use it to differentiate himself from others, leading to discord and endless strife. We have witnessed wars for power, for glory and for pride. However, the wars fought in the name of religion have been the most gruesome and obnoxious. Religion distinguished man from a wild beast, but the line of differentiation is slowly getting blurred. The choice of viewing religion as a relationship with God or as an instrument of hatred will decide the fate of man in the years to come.
Religion has evolved into an organized system of matching individual beliefs. Myths and superstitions have seeped into the fabric of this system. People with common beliefs belong to a particular religion and any disparity leads to alienation from the institution. The concept of the existence of a supernatural power and our duty towards establishing a strong relationship with this power once formed the basis of religion. However, modern society views religion more as a reflection of one’s superiority or inferiority than a tool that binds us with the grace of the almighty God. Religion was once the instrument of peace and solidarity. However, man has begun to use it to differentiate himself from others, leading to discord and endless strife. We have witnessed wars for power, for glory and for pride. However, the wars fought in the name of religion have been the most gruesome and obnoxious. Religion distinguished man from a wild beast, but the line of differentiation is slowly getting blurred. The choice of viewing religion as a relationship with God or as an instrument of hatred will decide the fate of man in the years to come.
Me
I had a weird dream one night. When I woke up the next morning, I realized that I had been transformed. It was not a situation most of us would want to be in, not even in our dreams. And I wasn’t too pleased about it, either! However, I discovered that being 'it'... is not the worst feeling in the world, after all.
I was waiting in the restroom for somebody to come and rescue me. To my delight, a stocky man walked in. He had the trappings that one associates with distinguished gentlemen. Perhaps, he had come in to check if he appeared presentable. And suddenly, he did something you wouldn’t have expected of him. Facing towards me, He started picking his nose and I reckoned to myself - that's the most disgusting scene I had ever been witness to. Well, status doesn’t change who you are....
Somebody once said - mirrors don’t reverse left and right. They just show what is in front of them - the truth about who and what you are! It didn’t take long for this reality to sink in as a girl walked up to me and stared for a while. She pulled a comb and a lipstick out of her bag and while she was 'in the process', she started speaking to me, "If Rohan wants it, so be it!" It dawned on me. She was 'masking' herself to please Rohan, whoever that was. The real 'she' was standing in front of me, anguished and heartbroken. I wondered if 'beautiful' girls were really happy or is everything ‘masked’? I would never know...
As time ticked away, I was longing to be set free.. And moments later, another girl walked up to me. She had ugly scars on her face. She started weeping. I don’t recollect the exact words, but I do remember that she was talking about her boyfriend. They had been committed for two years. And one day, as they were driving to her place, they met with an accident and the irreparable consequence was the pitiful state of her 'once pretty' face. Her boyfriend had ditched her as he found her too 'repulsive'. I wanted to tell her that people who go by appearances do not deserve love. I was disappointed that the words weren't flowing out. I wanted to give her a hug and make her feel wanted. And then, I realized it was impossible because..... I had been transformed into...a Mirror!!!
I was waiting in the restroom for somebody to come and rescue me. To my delight, a stocky man walked in. He had the trappings that one associates with distinguished gentlemen. Perhaps, he had come in to check if he appeared presentable. And suddenly, he did something you wouldn’t have expected of him. Facing towards me, He started picking his nose and I reckoned to myself - that's the most disgusting scene I had ever been witness to. Well, status doesn’t change who you are....
Somebody once said - mirrors don’t reverse left and right. They just show what is in front of them - the truth about who and what you are! It didn’t take long for this reality to sink in as a girl walked up to me and stared for a while. She pulled a comb and a lipstick out of her bag and while she was 'in the process', she started speaking to me, "If Rohan wants it, so be it!" It dawned on me. She was 'masking' herself to please Rohan, whoever that was. The real 'she' was standing in front of me, anguished and heartbroken. I wondered if 'beautiful' girls were really happy or is everything ‘masked’? I would never know...
As time ticked away, I was longing to be set free.. And moments later, another girl walked up to me. She had ugly scars on her face. She started weeping. I don’t recollect the exact words, but I do remember that she was talking about her boyfriend. They had been committed for two years. And one day, as they were driving to her place, they met with an accident and the irreparable consequence was the pitiful state of her 'once pretty' face. Her boyfriend had ditched her as he found her too 'repulsive'. I wanted to tell her that people who go by appearances do not deserve love. I was disappointed that the words weren't flowing out. I wanted to give her a hug and make her feel wanted. And then, I realized it was impossible because..... I had been transformed into...a Mirror!!!
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