Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani

CP, New Delhi
January 21,2008


"A Kashmiri Muslim is always suspected of being a terrorist”, bemoans a middle aged man with whitish complexion. This 35-year-old man alongwith his parents and brother, once lived in a huge house in Kashmir. Aijaz Ahmed Khan, is one those hundreds of thousands of people whose homes were burnt to ashes. From living in a plush 12-room house to living in a one room flat with five people, the transition has not been smooth. However, he had to come to Delhi to earn his livelihood. He came in 1992 and since then has been working as a guide. Although, he has been working in Delhi for the past 15 years, he is still looked down by the people as ‘someone who does not belong to India’. Being a Kashmiri is tough but being a Kashmiri Muslim is tougher. The police keeps harassing them and they are constantly stopped, checked and questioned. “We pay rs.1000/month to the police for just talking to the tourists and we are always threatened”, says Aijaz. However, life is still better here in Delhi than in Kashmir.There, the soldiers would torture them and force them to confess that they are terrorists. “I was hanged on bamboo stick and beaten. For 3 weeks I could not walk”, laments the distraught migrant. He alleges that the Indian government and the army have created more problems for them than the militants. Inside him, there is hatred not for the militants but for the ministers and the army. He feels that the ministers take away all the money and little is spent on the rehabilitation of those who lost their homes.However, despite the day-to-day hardships, he still says with a smile, “I love my motherland. Jahan main paida hua, main wahin rehna chahta hu…”

Chidyatapu- Don't miss this one

For a long time, I have been thinking of writing about my trip to Andaman Islands. Somehow, Andaman wasn’t what I had expected. Having heard so much about its beauty, my expectations had risen.
As we reached Port Blair, we were hounded by the hustle and bustle of the city life. There were crowded markets and the city plan seems to have gone haywire. With each blow of smoke, I could see my expectations crumbling. I felt something was amiss. The Andaman that I was seeing was not what I wanted. I yearned for tranquility, a place where I could admire the greatest architect of all times-the almighty. But to my dismay, every place had been infiltrated by mankind. Even the islands weren’t spared. For instance, the Viper Island was occupied with remnants of prison and courtroom. On Ross Island, one could see the remains of a Church, a tennis court, barracks to mention a few.

Then one fine day, we were taken to a place which was around two hours away from the main city. As we cut through the hills with great speed, I could sense the freshness of the air. With wind gushing across my face, I could see the green hills with isolated homes-some kucha, some pakka-nevertheless accentuating the beauty of the place. The slender curves of the road, coupled with the greenery of the place, made it a memorable ride.
Finally, the wonderful journey ended and our cab came to a halt. I was somewhat disappointed. I wished the journey could be just a little longer. But now looking at the vast emptiness of the place with trees half uprooted, with large rocks floating on the blue sea, I thought this was ‘the place’. It was CHIDYATAPU.

The 'unfailing??' plans

It’s not new, it’s not abnormal rather it’s a perfect case of blissful ignorance. However, the unique thing being that what we have chosen to ignore is ourselves. Now instead of making you go through the mental agony of guessing what I am talking about, I would straightaway come to my point. I am referring to that unfailing habit of making plans and resolving to follow them with all our conviction. However, every time in this battle of laziness versus doing the things that ‘matter’, laziness always takes the bait. Oh! You can’t ignore laziness when it comes dressed up as that sexy lady or handsome bloke (depending upon your preference ;). Sure, you are bound to fall prey to its treacherous trap. Now, coming to my plans, I would say that the number of plans I made and broke has reached such a stage that it might as well feed the whole population of America! Where should I start my woes from? Those regular plans to study (usually the aftermath of horrible exams) or the incessant plans to meet up with school friends (read: reunion), or my little plans to cut my nails (after being scolded the nth time by my dad). And not to forget, my plan to buy that pen which I have been postponing for a week now! It could be one of my favourite plans to finish my novel before exams start. Otherwise, I’ll have to reread it as usual. Those plans about not to waste too much money on phone calls or my daily plans to travel by bus (read: saving more than 100 bucks a day) or the weekend plans to go for a movie or those impossible plans of quitting orkut! The list is endless and still counting…However, I’m not all that hopeless as you might think. Some of my plans do work though I can’t recall any at the moment. ;)N oh! did I forget to mention that yesterday I ‘planned’ to update my blog?
PS: Procrastination is my sin. I know I must stop it. I will. But TOMORROW ;)