Save The Girl Child

Census is an activity which is carried out in India every decade. The aim of the census is to take a count of the population of the country, understand the detailed demographics and use this for detailed planning of future activities and resource distribution.

India Census 2011 has been completed recently, in Feb 2011. Among the significant highlights are the the following facts.

• India's current population is a staggering 1.2 Billion - almost 17% of the world's population.

• The population has grown by 181 Million in the last decade - but at a rate slower as compared to the previous decade. 

• The sex ratio has been tagged at 940. It means that for every 1000 men, there are 940 women.

These statistics highlight the immenseness of our population. As for the sex ratio, it has been a positive move from 2001 - when the sex ratio was 933. 

However, there is another alarming statistic that has emerged.

• The child sex ratio (determined for children between the the age 1 day to 6 years) has declined to 914 from the 2001 value of 927.  

• This child sex ratio is the lowest since our Independence in 1947.

A closer look at the detailed demographics would reveal that the child sex ratio is less than 900 in 8 states across India - including the two biggest states - Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

If this statistic is alarming, the next graph would leave you dismayed.

The child sex ratio has been continuously reducing since the 1961 i.e. for the last 50 years.

What is it that is causing an unabated decline in the Child Sex Ratio? 

It would be worthwhile to go back to the school days and understand how a baby boy or a baby girl is born.

• Every human being has 46 chromosomes - a total of 23 sets. Each of the two parents contribute one from each of the 23 sets to the baby - a total of 23 chromosomes.

• One set of chromosomes determine the sex of the baby.

• The lady has only one type of egg - with an X chromosome. It can be either the X or Y chromosome containing sperm - from the man - that fertilizes the egg.

• If the baby has two X chromosomes, a baby girl is conceived. If the baby has a X and a Y chromosome, a baby boy is conceived.

And considering the fact that you cannot govern whether a sperm containing a X chromosome or a Y chromosome  would fertilize the egg, the probability of conceiving a boy or a girl would be uniform. In simplest terms, it would be 50-50.

But if this is the case, what is it that is causing such an imbalance in the Child Sex Ratio? Why is is that you have just 914 little girls for every 1000 little boys? Is there something which does not meet the eye?

Let's go back to 1971. It was in 1971 that Abortion was legalized in India. The Indian MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act laid down the conditions under which an abortion could be taken up. It aimed to empower the women - to take a conscious decision to give birth to a child - and protect her from harmful medical conditions.

But as all good things come with certain bad things, this too had its own share.

Using a technique called as ultra sound scanning, the people could determine the sex of the baby carried by the lady. If this was just for information purposes, it wouldn't have done any harm. 

But people started misusing this information. If the sex of the baby was not as per their expectations, or the expectations of their family, or other such conditions - abortions were done to terminate the pregnancy. Sometimes it was with the concurrence of both parents, while in many many cases - it was done without respecting the thoughts and views of the lady or both the parents.

A child was being killed before he or she was born. This was foeticide. And it was female foeticide which resulted in the imbalance in the child sex ratio.

The Indian Government woke up to this harmful practice in 1994 - by making ultrasound scanning, just to determine the sex of the fetus, illegal.

While this was a step in the right direction, it has not completely arrested the problem. If you would read this news article, you would understand that still we have many people in the society who beat the law to carry out ultrasound scanning for the very purpose it was banned. 

You would be hurt when you read that a district, with 19 ultrasound scanning centers, has a very low child sex ratio of 774. Definitely, malpractices are on. 

I'm wrong - it's not malpractices. It's murder. And no one is being punished.

To understand the reasons why people go to such clinics, it would be important to consider an example - which I came across recently. 

The question plaguing the mind of the lady is simply depressing.

==

I have been married for seven years into a very good family. I have a daughter and am pregnant with my second child. My husband wants a son to carry on his business. I explained to him that we cannot choose what sex our child is born, children are God's gift. But he says we must keep trying till we have a son. I don't want to have more than two children and am very disturbed. My in- laws also are with my husband on this issue. What do I do?

==

Here you have a lady who is definitely well educated, with an equally educated husband. She has her mind over her shoulders. Yet, her husband and family are pressurizing her to have a boy child - a thing which she can't control.

In this case, if the lady has to meet the whims and fancies of her husband and the family, she would end up having more than two children - a thing which she is averse too (in our modern difficult times).

While in some cases the parents do have more than two children with the intention of having at least one boy child, for others - it is simply not possible - given their economic and social conditions. And in such cases, they go in for female foeticide.

And if this is the case with well educated people, consider what would be the case with women who are not literate. Women who don't have the power to choose. Women who are not economically and socially independent. The situation is indeed dejecting.

To understand the gravity of the problem, you can consider the note below.

==

A survey by Action India of Women in Delhi revealed that even the highly educated women have resorted to as many as a whopping eight abortions to ensure that they only give birth to a son. 

==

Why is someone averse to having a girl child? Is it because they are apprehensive that the girl child will not be sucessfull in this world? Or is it because they want a boy to take care of them in their twilight years? Or is it just for the sake of it? 

Or is it just to meet the wishes of senior members of the family? Or is it because the difficulties the girl will face in her life, in a society - which many perceive as - a male dominated society? 

A study by Government of India indicates the few significant reasons for such situations.

• Menace of dowry   

• Fear of loss of face in local community     

• Desire to keep the wealth within the family, through sons

• Fear of dependence of the girl on the family, for life   

• Attempt to control family size 

• Wish to appease Gods in times of crisis

As you can see, most of the reasons are social. And most are irrational. Most are unjustified. It is very important to understand these reasons and causes, because only then steps can be taken to avoid the situation due to any of this causes.

The reasons for not having a girl child can be many. But all such fears are unfounded. All such concerns are irrational. The social reasons are created by the society itself and they need to be banished.

It is important to ask some questions which would make someone think twice - if the thought of being averse to having a girl child - would cross his or her mind. 

If it is a question of being sucessfull, a woman can be equally sucessfull as a man. In some cases, she can be much more sucessfull. 

In the real life illustration quoted earlier, the father wanted a boy child so that he could carry forward his family business. Doesn't he know that you have many intelligent and sucessfull women at the top of many businesses? Doesn't he know that the President of our country is a lady? 

Doesn't he know that some of the biggest politicians are ladies? And doesn't the entire nation listen to them when they take on to the dais? Aren't our girls the best in the world of sports? Haven't we sent our girl to space?

And if someone is thinking that a woman can be sucessfull only in a urban environment, then he or she is wrong. You should have a look at this news article - featuring Sunita Devi. 

Sunita Devi is the sarpanch (head) of her village in Haryana. She has made a difference to the life of women in her village and will inspire other women in other villages in similar situations. 

While this was a case of a traditional middle-aged woman donning the roles of a leader, Chhavi Rajawat is an inspiring new age lady. She is a management graduate and the head of her village. 

She had recently being to the U.N. - speaking about the "Role of Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Promoting Development". You should read this news article about her U.N. visit. She was also featured on India Today.

Well, the writing is on the wall. There isn't absolutely anything that a girl cannot achieve. She can win the world. 

India is considered to be a land of many God's and Goddess's. We pray to these Gods and Goddess's to seek their blessings - both in good times and time of needs. The all powerful Goddess's are also women and we look upto them. And we should also look upto the girls. And should abolish the discerning thoughts of having a girl child.

There is absolutely no harm in having a girl child. The parents and the society should be empowered to make the girl ready for the future, ready for her life ahead.

A little girl should be given the right and the best possible education. She should be bought up without any prejudice against her. She should be given whatever her parents are capable of. And if all these are done, there isn't even an iota of doubt that she is on the road to success. 

She will definitely be sucessfull enough to take care of her family. Her independence - social and economic - would make her strong and brave to face our difficult world. And such a girl would certainly be able to take care of her aging parents.

If someone is so detrimental to have a girl, and would like to have a boy child, they should think that some two decades down the line - they would be searching for a suitable girl to get their son married. And if all parents would just like to have boys - like they do - where would you get a girl from?

Haven't we heard of the quote - Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family. It is here you can understand the importance of a lady. 

The Government of India has taken steps in the right direction to improve the situation. Some prime initiatives include free and compulsory education for the girl child, and enacting laws against dowry. 

The first one is to make the girl ready for her future, make her independent and enterprising. The second one is to set her on course for the rest of her life - without causing any hardships for her family and herself.

But what is more important is to have a mindset revolution. People should discard the gender bias they have in their mind. People should overthrow any apprehensions they have towards the girl child. 

They have to realise that she is very important for the success of our society. That's why the Girl Child Campaign in India says - A happy girl is the future of our country.

After all, a Girl Child can become an inspiration for your life!!

Love Knows Boundaries

You might have heard about the quote - Love Knows No Boundaries.

On this quote rested the hopes of millions of women and men. This is what made them think that they will win the world - the world of Love, and live happily ever after. This is what made then dream about the wonderful world brimming with joy. This is what would make their world - from real to ideal.

But then, I would say - Love Knows Boundaries. 

I'm not sounding defeatist, am I? Or am I sounding like a loser?

Well, Love knows boundaries. Boundaries of the mind. Boundaries drawn by the world. Artificial boundaries. Boundaries which can be crossed, but of which we would think twice. Virtual boundaries. Realistic boundaries. Thorny boundaries.

Oh God, so many boundaries??

But has there been an ocean that has never been navigated? Has there been a boundary between lands which has never been traversed? Didn't mankind cross the boundary of space and make it to the moon?

Well, Love knows boundaries - You should just know how to cross them.

You should just build the bridges. Bridges with strong foundations. Bridges that would stand the strongest of the tides. Bridges which would overcome the obstacles.

Bridges that would take you to the farthest of the lands, like the deepest me the veins, to the only place that matters - the heart.

Are you building your bridge?? If not, start now!!

Maybe that's why SRK said these lines while serenading with Preity.

Jaanam, dekh lo, mit gayi dooriyaan,
Main yahaan hoon, yahaan hoon, yahaan hoon, yahaan.
Kaisi sarhadein, kaisi majbooriyaan,
Main yahaan hoon, yahaan hoon, yahaan hoon, yahaan.

My Elusive Friend

 

The night was breezing, 

Oh dear, she wasn't forthcoming. 

At a time she was my most precious, 

She wasn't giving me her company gracious. 

She was a charming seductress,
And an enticing temptress,
I hated to resist her,
Her allure was exceedingly demure.
 

I closed my eyes, 

Begged her to take me over, 

The tinkering thoughts,

Were scaring her from coming closer. 

She hadn't seen such a restless mind, 

Simple yet intertwined, 

Foolish and hungry, 

But of what it was still in a quandary. 

And then in a whiff the calm descended, 

Keeping her promise she quickly ascended,

Before I knew it was already dawn,

Like the elusive pimpernel, she was already bygone.

P.S. This is for my sweet little friend - sleep herself - for whom I was hopelessly searching a few nights back.

Just One Word Short

It amazed me greatly, 

That we admired each other generously.

Yet it was that one word short, 

Which kept up apart. 

It surprised me to no extent, 

That we said it all.

Yet it was that one word short, 

That destroyed it all.

What kept you shackled?

What made me sit on the fence??

With all this knowledge of our glorious language, 

We couldn't say that one sentence. 

Would you cross the bridge?

Or Would I cross the chasm??

We left it to each other, 

Only to see each other farther and farther.  

Were you nervous?

Was I afraid??

Well, we would never know, 

It's a secret we would carry to our grave. 

That One Word Short, 

Would it ever make a difference?

Only if I knew the answer, 

I wouldn't let such a mistake happen!! 

P.S. I'm surprised why such thoughts rumbled though my meek mind at half past one in the night.

India Wins Cricket World Cup 2011

India has won the Cricket World Cup 2011. India is the champion of the world of Cricket. Blessed by God Almighty, India has won the ultimate prize in Cricket - sending the entire nation into a state of frenzy.

In the biggest showdown in the world of cricket, hosts India took on co-hosts Sri Lanka in a high voltage final at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April 2011. 

Sri Lanka won a controversial toss and decided to bat first. They scored a majestic 275 runs, inspired by a great century by Mahela Jayawardane. 

Chasing under pressure was never India's forte, and the top order collapsed. However, powered by a great sheet anchor knock by Gautam Gambhir and super cool innings by uber cool captain - MS Dhoni, India won the World Cup it style. Gary Kirsten - India's coach - was also a great influencing factor in this victory.

Winning moments like these are rare, and India have done it in great style.

India had last won the World Cup in 1983 - under the leadership of Kapil Dev. And in 2011, just less than 10 hours back, entire India was on tenterhooks. Sachin was playing in what was most likely his final World Cup match, and the entire nation wanted Team India to win the Cup.

The toss was a disaster. MSD threw the coin and Sangakarra made the wrong call. Incidentally, neither the referee nor MSD had heard what the Sri Lankan captain had called. The referee insisted that the toss be done again. The Lankans won it this time and chose to bat. The entire country contemplated whether this toss-gate would result in the loss of the Cup 9 hours later.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start - but not a great one. Their top players - Tharanga, Dilshan and Sangakarra - couldn't score freely and were out without scoring heavily. 

Mahela Jayawardane stepped up and took on the responsibility of steering the innings. He scored 103 runs - proudly cheered by his wife. The lower order batsmen too hit some great boundaries and sixes. Sri Lanka made it to 275 runs, a score which would have scared most Indians.

Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel had kept their cool in the most important match of their career. Yuvraj too bowled his quota of 10 overs, taking crucial wickets. The surprise selection - Sreesanth - took some stick. Yet, he didn't let the match  completely slip out of India's match.

And when India took to the field to start the batting, the hopes of the entire nation rested on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. 

Sehwag got out in the first over of the match - caught leg-before-wicket to Malinga. My thoughts raced by to 2003, when Sachin had got out to McGrath in the finals against Australia. Would India lose the finals again? 

Next came Gautam Gambhir. If there is any man in the Indian team who is the most under-rated, it's Gautam. If there is any man who plays without seeking any attention, it's Gautam. 

Sachin Tendulkar looked to be in great touch, scoring good runs. But then came then moment which the entire nation feared. Sachin Tendulkar got out for 18 runs, and people across the country felt that the Cup had slipped out of India's hands.

Virat Kohli came into the middle and scored a respectable 35 runs. He was caught out by a stunning catch by Dilshan. At this moment, India were under immense pressure. The fire was on. And in walked the uber-cool skipper, MS Dhoni, ahead of the man in form - Yuvraj Singh.

If you have noticed MSD keeping the stumps, you would notice that he goes about his job with heavy concentration and supreme determination. India needed these very qualities at this moment. 

Dhoni rose to the occasion. He went about scoring runs with a quiet pace. He kept Gambhir on his feet and made him do the same. And after doing all the hard work though the middle of the innings, India were standing at the door steps of victory.

Gambhir got out on the score of 97, with India needing just 53 odd runs. I had got into a superstitious habit of not sitting down for the last 20 overs. Incidentally, I sat down for a single ball and Gambhir got out. That made me curse myself, but only to make a resolution of not sitting down - until India wins the World Cup.

Once Gambhir was back, the Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh joined his skipper in the middle. Both the champions went about scoring the runs with ease, never letting the pressure get on to them. At the same time, they didn't let the strike rate to climb.

They say - Strike while the iron is hot. True to this axiom, when Kulasekara came to bowl in the 47th over, Dhoni and Yuvi ripped apart his bowling to bring India on to striking distance of a victory - a victory which could not have been stolen from the nation - come what may!!

And in the 49th over, the skipper MS Dhoni won the World Cup for India, hitting the biggest six of the match, in great style. India had won the World Cup. India were crowned as the Champions. India had won the title - sending the entire nation of 1.2 billions into a state of euphoria, pride and happiness.

If you have to relive those moments, it is these three minutes of magic. The entire country wanted Dhoni to finish it in style with a four. He delivered a sixer - the most stylish one. He didn't start celebrating until the ball had landed in the stands. After that, it was just party all the way. 



Jubilant and emotional scenes were seen across the entire nation. Almost every single player said that they had won the Cup for Sachin. Sachin was his modest self in the victory, crediting the entire team. MSD was his frank self - playing a captain's knock in the most important match of his career, backing his decisions, laying any doubts about his leadership capabilities to rest.

Importantly, a great team work powered India to this majestic victory. Different player fired when it mattered the most in different matches. India made true of the saying - the sum is more than its parts. 

After a long gap of 28 years, India had won the World Cup. I was not even a 28 day baby when India had won the Cup back in 1983. And today, it is a proud moment to see India being crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Jai Ho!!! 

(All pictures courtesy - Getty Images, Google and The Times Of India)

ICC Cricket World Cup Finals 2011

Fresh Fresh 
~~~
India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
~~~

The stage is set for the battle for the supremacy over the world of Cricket. It will be India Vs Sri Lanka in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals on Saturday, 2nd April 2011 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Both India and Sri Lanka have been co-hosts for this World Cup -  staged across the Indian sub-continent over the last 40 days. The sub-continental giants - both of whom have won the World Cup once - will be taking on each other in the finals at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

India were touted as the favorites for winning the championships. They have lived upto that expectation, losing just one match on the road to the final. Sri Lanka too were considered as a strong side. They too have grown from strength to strength to block the tickets to Bombay.

In the semi-finals, Sri Lanka played against New Zealand. After restricting New Zealand to just 217 runs, Sri Lanka kept their cool in the difficult run chase - winning by 5 wickets. 

The top order fired for Sri Lanka, as it has done all through the tournament. Guys in the middle order also digged in to take the team to a glorious victory. Importantly, it was their champion spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan's - last match on Sri Lankan soil. And Sri Lanka heads to the final with the intent of wearing the Champion's Crown once again.

The other semi final was between India and Pakistan. It wasn't a cricket match. It was a battle. The hype before the match was simply too huge too comprehend. 

Adding to the pressure was the fact that the Prime Minister's of both nations - Dr. Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan - were meeting on the sidelines of the cricket match. This is what they called as cricket diplomacy.

India batted first and the Indian top order looked as if they were firing. Only Sachin was able to dig through the innings, with the blessings of the generous Pakistani fielders who dropped him four times. India managed to score a respectable total of 260 runs.

In the second innings, MS Dhoni - India's captain - led the team into the field. The entire nation contemplated Dhoni's choice to play Nehra over Ashwin - expecting it to back fire. 

Pakistan got off to a great start. But India took wickets at regular intervals. All the five bowlers bowled like champions in the most important match in a decade. The Pakistani team fell like nine pins. Misbah-Ul-Haq, the eldest Pakistani player, scored at a snail's pace, virtually awarding the match to India.

And with two wickets a piece, the five Indian bowlers wrapped up the Pakistani innings with a bowl to spare, winning by a majestic 29 runs.  

With this, the euphoria is set to rise further - culminating in the final's in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, India's Demi-God will be playing it in front of his home crowd. The entire nation will be hoping that India wins.

If there is one star which is missing on Sachin's proud chest, it is the victory medal of the World Cup. And Sachin would be making every possible effort to win the Cup for India, in what should be - for all practical purposes - his last World Cup match. ( A few blog posts back, an anonymous visitor left behind a comment, saying - Sachin will play two more World Cup's. You never know what the future holds.) 

But as they say, Cricket is a team game. And the entire team needs to back up Sachin. India needs a fiery start from Virender Sehwag and a stable knock from Gautam Gambhir. Yuvraj Singh should score a decent knock and Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni should make a respectable contribution.

Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan has to lead the attack once again. Harbhajan has to bowl with all his guile. Munaf Patel was impressive in the big game against Pakistan and should keep his cool. 

And, if - once again - you have too choose between Ashwin and Nehra, Nehra should get a place in the playing eleven. But you never know how the uber cool skipper - MSD - would think. Whatever may be the choice, the chosen player should play his best.

Most importantly, it's the captain - MS Dhoni. He is the captain of the ship which has sailed so far. He is the general of the army which has won all these battles. Dhoni would have got a lot of flak - be it for his selections, or for his interspersed poor keeping, or his mediocre batting through the Cup. 

Whatever may be the case, captaincy is his stronghold. He should construct his best thoughts over the next two days, prepare a plan for every single eventuality which may shape up in the game, and lead his team with confidence. He has a team which is extremely talented, and has a huge heart. He just has to rally them like a bunch of champions and take them to the glorious pedestal - a victory in the Cricket World Cup.

As for what Sri Lanka needs to do, I will just leave it to the Lankans. They are India's opponents - and any tips are not advisable.

However, it will be worthwhile to analyse Sri Lankan's for the benefit for India. The top three batsmen - Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara - are the most dangerous. India should prepare a very strong plan to get these guys out.

Among the bowlers, Malinga has been very very dangerous with his slingers. Sachin and Sehwag should rip apart his bowling, and demoralize him completely. 

The spin twins - Murali and Ajantha Mendes - will use all their tricks to get the Indian's out. India should play them with utmost caution, and capitalise on their weak deliveries.

Simply speaking, India have an uphill task against Sri Lanka. A long fifteen years back, in 1996, when I was just a little school going boy, India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup semi-finals at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. The Indian batting crumbled under pressure and India lost poorly. Sri Lanka went on to win the match, under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. 

I just want one thing. India should avenge that defeat and win the Cricket World Cup 2011.

For the next two days, the entire nation will be on tenterhooks. After celebrating the victory against Pakistan, the entire nation will sit down and prepare the plans for winning the World Cup. From trains to buses, from schools to colleges, from TV to Radio, from corporate boardrooms to the neighboring tea-shops - it will be just one thing - India and World Cup. Everything else will take a back seat.

You don't have any Octopus Paul predicting the winners. But if you are interested in following someone, it should be the guru of spin bowling, the wizard of spin - Aussie spinner, Shane Warne. He has been predicting winners with amazing accuracy. Do not forget to check him out on his twitter page before and through the match.

I strongly hope and pray to God that India emerge victorious in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011, in the World Cup final.

And by God's grace, if this wish comes true, entire India will erupt into a state of joy and euphoria. Just three days more - and India will be crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Dhak Dhak Go, India Go!!

Why??

Among the billion stars,
Why is the sun the brightest?

It's the same reason why,
She is my closest.

Among the million suns,
Why is ours the topper?

It's the same reason why,
My life revolves around her.

Among the thousand galaxies,
Why is ours the classiest?

It's the same reason why,
She paints my life vividest.

Among the few basic needs,
Why is water the most needed?

It's the same reason why,
She is my elixir and loves me the dearest.

Like the precious diamonds,
Why is she still undiscovered and unknown?

It's the same reason why,
Life begins only with the strongest blessings and the greatest fortune.

The Loss Of A Habit

A long time back I had read about this quote.

~~ Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as are bad habits.
~~~~ Robert Puller

Well, when I read this one, I prayed to God that all the good habits that I posses stay with me, forever.

But sadly, in recent months, I have lost one very good habit which I possessed. A habit which I deeply cherished. A habit which made me many a precious friend. A habit which started countless discussions in innumerable situations.

It is the habit of Reading. It was the habit of Reading.

Sadly, I have lost the habit of reading in all its forms. Be it news papers, or magazines, or books. All of it.

There was a time when I used to start my day with reading of the newspapers. I would go through all the pages and read the most eye-catching ones first. I would also make a mental bookmark of the articles that I needed to catch up later in the day - possibly over the evening tea or while having dinner.

But off late, early morning sleep has been more precious. The only thing after getting up is to get ready and head off to work. This has made reading of the news papers a rarity.

The only solace is the fact is that I manage to catch up with the online newspapers - spending a maximum of 20-30 minutes a day on it. But it does not give the same satisfaction as that of reading a "real" news paper. What's bad is the fact that the quality of news articles that show up on the first page of the website are not upto the mark or diverse enough to give me full fledged information about the going on's in the world.

Next one is the habit of reading books. I was a voracious reader at one point of time - gulping upto three books a month in my tight schedule. Reading was the most common pastime over the weekends and holidays. I enjoyed reading about any topic under the sun - fiction, non-fiction, thrillers, comics, romance, business, biographies - the list was endless.

Back in school, during the summer vacations, I used to enroll at the local library. It used to offer a facility to take two books at a time, for sixty rupees a month. 

I used to make the best use of that opportunity by reading two books a day. And most importantly, every school year - wait for the vacations to arrive.  

But then came my personal computer - only to steal away the company of my humble books. Enticing Electronics took over the humble Paper.

This picture made me wonder whether it was the same me who used to read the Harry Potter books on the same day of they being released, keeping every other thing on the sun aside, only to finish the book and get to the end of the mystery. With Harry Potter, the mystery never ended.

I would also love to read before sleep. Falling asleep while reading was one of the pleasures life used to offer.

I maintained an online compilation of the books I had read and I planned to read. Shelfari was the website where I maintained this list. It took me quite a while even to recollect this website. I had to take support of my email to do so. That explains the gravity with which I have lost it all.

And then came the habit of blogging. Blogging, like Reading, is quite addictive. And for the last few months, it has been Blogging Vs Reading. Blogging has won hands down.

The advent of movie franchisees has been another factor which led to this situation. Twilight has been one of the most sucessfull novel series in the last couple of years, and I was keen to check it out - by reading. Ultimately, I ended up seeing the movies - killing any chance of reading the books.

Another thing which has contributed to this downfall is the short articles that we read on the internet. Although they are easy to grasp, they have resulted in a reduced attention span. And a reduced attention span does not make life easy for reading books.

There was a time when every alternate shopping trip with friends consisted of visiting the neighboring book store. Flipping through the books, looking for interesting stuff was a great way to pass time and connect. And If something caught you eye, by God's grace, you could buy it. And make the best utilization of the purchase by sharing it with your friends.

These days I force myself to get a few of books - every few months - just in the hope of kick starting back the habit. Or maybe read some magazines to develop the interest back.

The only book that I can remember of reading in recent times - without putting it down - was "Freakonomics". I loved the concept of the book and the answers put down to simple, real world, questions.

Books make you think, and that was the case with "Freakonomics" too. I had purchased this book while traveling for work - over the Xmas weekend. Incidentally, the travel back home was delayed due to bad weather, delayed flights and a shutdown airport (in the capital city of the biggest country on the earth). 

Made me wonder - Why do we have all the travel troubles in the midst of the holiday season?? If you have read "Freakonomics", you will acknowledge that this is one question which the authors of the book would love to answer - with their excellent analysis.

This loss has been hurting me more over the last few days - since I discussed books with two people. Some one told me that she had slept only at 2.30 in the morning - because she couldn't sense the time while reading. That made me jealous. That made me recollect my old times. 

And someone else told me that her favorite book was "The Kite Runner". And I professed that "To Kill A Mocking Bird" is my favorite. Incidentally, this lady was able to recollect the most significant line of this book - thanks to her sharp memory. 

~~ "Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

~~~~ Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird. 

All this made me wonder - maybe it is time to revive this wonderful habit. I can't make a resolution, because, they say that resolutions are meant to be broken. But an attempt can be certainly made.

If wishes were horses, and horses could fly, I would also love J.K. Rowling to start writing again. Her narration was awesome and reading her books kept me engaged for hours altogether. 

A visit to the bookstore at my office could also help. They offer a generous discount of 10% on every book that you buy.

Maybe the help of the good old "Reader's Digest" can be sought. It's short articles might help to tide over the attention span problem. And once that's taken care, a good flowing book can bring back the good old days. 

A few of them are already in the pipe line - an almost biography of Winston Churchill, a book by N.R. Narayana Murthy on the Indian society - A Better India, A Better World, and a book with the name - Flirting With Disaster.

Well, only time can tell whether I will be sucessfull in my endeavour. A worthwhile resolution could be to come back to this blogpost and leave a comment on completely reading the above mentioned three books. Let's see how soon it happens.

And have you lost any habit recently? Was it for the good or bad? And if it was for the bad, I certainly hope that you are taking those small steps back - to reclaim that habit which was a wonderful part of your life.

Hiding

Hiding is a fundamental human trait which we would have all attempted at some point of our life. It means preventing someone from knowing a fact, or seeing something.

If I consider today's online newspaper - the top two headlines are about hiding and concealment. The first headline says that one person bribed another person (a politician, to be specific) for a Million US Dollars. Now both these guys are concealing this fact from the general public for their own benefit.

The second one alleges that a little child has been killed by her parents. This allegation is made by the widow of the man, who was also their servant, and was also killed on the same night.

Here too you have a strong evidence that something is very fishy and concealment or hiding is being attempted.

While these are things which are being followed in the public domain, and are extreme cases (especially the second one), the situation is not different in our small personal life - our little world itself.

We would hide for a variety of reasons. 

Let's say that you are happy about something. Sharing your joy, they say, increases it. But then you don't share it with all, but only with a special few. Or with only your special one. And from the rest, you conceal.

The reasons for this are multitude. You may not want someone to share your joy. Or not want someone to feel jealous about your joy. Or maybe think that the person does not have to be privy to your joy itself.

The same thing can be said about stuff which hurts you. You don't want your loved ones to share the same anguish as you do. You do not want them to inflict them with the same pain as you are facing.

And in broader interests, you conceal something. You bury that thought deep in your heart. You keep them away from such situations to isolate them. 

It can also be said about things which you proudly possess. And you don't want others to have their prying eyes rest on your valuable assets. 

You would hide them completely so that those glaring eyes don't have a look at them. Like the gold, silver and other precious ornaments and valuables that you keep in the safe lockers.

Let us consider things from the perspective of someone from whom something is hidden.

If you consider the first illustration of the murder, it results in a deep sense of hurt and helplessness for the close ones of the people on whom the crime was committed and the society in general.

Moving onto simpler situations - like the one where the joy is hidden from you. In the aftermath, I bet you would consider yourself foolish to even think that the person should have shared his or her joy with you. It's like falling flat on your face.

And if something which was concealed was done with the intent of preventing the hurt, you would feel a deep sense of anguish. A tornado of torment would run through your mind - making you think on whether you could have done something to reduce or eliminate the reasons which caused the hurt.

Oh my God!! Is this such a complex trait? Does this have such resounding impact on the lives of people??

And if you are confused between hiding or showing - you could give a small hint. A small clue would keep that someone thinking about what you are hiding.  And make you exceedingly alluring.

This thought is beautifully conveyed by the lady below.

It was this advertisement, featuring Natalia Vodianova, for Idylle by Guerlain perfume, which got me thinking about this offbeat topic. (It's another matter altogether that it has taken me approximately two months to compose thoughts on this subject)

So when did you hide something the last time? And from whom? And why did you hide it? And was it for good or bad? Just contemplate.