DEAD END

The failed conviction of an error
The decay of an agreement breached.
The biting thought of a doubt
The searing pain of a mutilated promise.

A recluse in a land he knew as his own
An offender of permissions that he called rights
A dust eater in that garden of fruits
A fault that screams of its being precise

The moment of separation seeps closer
Sweat washes his side locks with their salty touch
There isn’t any going back from here
A reality he wishes was untrue so much

An attempt to look back at life that was Alive
Reflects the picture of a tragic tomorrow
It’s an evening when youth embraced terrorism once again
A moment of shiver
A minute of calamity,
A flash of terror
And the start of a life full of deaths and sorrows.

THATS NEWS!!!

PINK CHADDI CAMPAIGN
VALENTINES DAY SHOULD BE CELEBRATED AS MARRIAGE DAY
KAREENA AND SAIF SEEN SHOPPING IN NEW YORK
AMIR KHAN NAMES HIS DOG SHAHRUKH

And yes, for people who still do not know what I am talking about (the possibility is very marginal) these were some major news stories this month.
How do we react to it? Anger! Frustration! Chaos! Confusion. No Of course not. Gossip is more like it. In the trains, bus queues, restaurants, cafeterias, page 3 parties, office washrooms too. I have heard people voraciously gathering and sharing Information about every big news story riding high on controversy.

I work in the creative department of a business news channel. Luckily business news doesn’t see much beyond world stock markets and ideally anything that’s Business. So there’s hardly much room left for tabloid tones. But a year in media has definitely inculcated a strong value system in me. And what I realize is- The Indian audience is sensitive to news. And the country’s larger population still boasts of a higher emotional quotient rather than the intelligent one. The Bangalore attacks on the pub visiting women is a serious threat. Giving couples unwanted trouble on Valentines day is a bad idea. Kareena and Saif could boast about being the most happy star couple. Amir can name his dog whatever he wants.
The question is 1st- Does the overhyped PINK CHADDI CAMPAIGN really make a difference to the larger sections of the society? Or will celebrating Valentines day as Marriage day really change things? Or Do people who celebrate Valentines day anyway away from their cultural roots?

The 2nd set of questions- Does it really matter to the common man if Kareena shops with Saif or even if they have a possible break up tomorrow? Or At a time when the world is fighting with more serious causes like terrorism, recession, job cuts, mayhem etc does it really matter if Amir names his dog SRK or continues with his loud attention calling stunts?

Whose fault is it? Not just the subjects of these headlines. Not just the ones who captured them. Not just the people who read them? Not just the gossip mongers? Not just anybody at large.
But WE THE PEOPLE. Of the Democracy called India. Where Freedom is no longer just an expression. Probably a land where individuals misuse individualistic freedom to take away the other’s independence. Freedom is more than an expression. Its perhaps the most important responsibility we took over more than fifty years back. And its time we all unlearn the crap about freedom we have been learning so far and use it for a better cause… maybe A BRIGHTER NATION if nothing else.