Translation

Nov, 2002

Rukhsar was a girl next door. She lived in an other backward society with a general forward thinking. Hated her environment. She was 19 years old and I was just 13. A six years age gap but yet we were good freinds. She never acted like a neighbourhood sister. She always treated me as a freind as she had a modern thinking. It felt good.

I was fascinated to her because she loved books. She always wanted to learn english but she was a girl, a muslim and financialy weak. So she has has to satisfy herself with a hindi- urdu medium government college. Enligh medium school creates money problems, co- ed problems, skirt problems, religious problems and family problems. A muslim girl should be in burkha, they say. Who? Her parents, society and religion.

They say a girl should only learn sewing, cooking, home science, arts and religious texts. And yes literature, thank God they permitted literature to girls!

Anyway she had 2,3 Shakespeare books which were one page english- one page hindi texts. And in the same way she read Milton and Byron. She had plenty of story books and novels in Urdu. She was not good in studies at her school but always dreamt of living the lives of the characters in those novels. I borrowed books from her and read the english parts. One day I told her that these english parts are more richer than their hindi translations.

"I know, but how can I help it and I am happy with it. At least I am able to grasp the very soul of Miltons and Voltaires verses. But someday I'll explore their richness of the language. Their style of expressing... " she stopped in the midst and lost in dreams.

"Expressing what?" I asked.

"Oh, you wont understand!"

"And why so?"

"You are too young."

"Oh, shut up I know english well."

"My dear, you may know english well, but yet you can't grasp the concept, the soul of a phrase. Look, ok tell me the meaning of this line:-
'He looked at Raina, and she blushed in shame.'
yes tell."

I thought and replied, "What! a man looks a woman named Raina and just blushed in shame. That's it!"

"And why she blushed with shame?" she asked.

"Maybe she has commited something wrong any crime."

"And my dear what is that 'crime'?" she smiled.

"I don't know, it is not mentioned here, tell me!"

"Oh, you can understand it yourself once you grow mature enough." she pinched on my cheek and lost in books. I returned home.

I wrecked my brain and oh yes I knew! I knew that that crime was 'love'. And she wanted to read Miltons style of expressing 'love' in it's poems. But what's so special in this word, 'love'! 

Family Love and Woes are Hindering Your Success?

Cheers, you are a normal Indian if your answer is 'yes'. The real problem here is we are hanging between too many gaps one viz., generation. How can one maintain with the lowest economy, impossible to balance budget which keeps growing. Your taste maybe Cadbury but still you have to buy some rasgullas for your mom an' dad. That's cumbersome!

It's not just our family elders but our community too. Hey, you can't sit with a girl anywhere, and sometimes you even fear your neighbours shouldn't spot you both together, even though if your papa has permitted it.

Now, we can think it on a larger level too. Ya, you nailed it! Our government- so backward, SOS! Thanks we were not born in Afghanistan, or any other Arab countries. Don't need for me to discuss more. I don't want to fill my blog with unusual words which make sense about the things which you already know! Other reporters and bloggers do it in magazines, newspapers and internet to call it 'literature' and themselves- 'writers' leaving to be criticized then to make some of them selective.

State level government or central, all are not in accordance with our metro or modern India. Every time I take up The Times of India, I could read that the government is so eager to take more and more young candidates (future leaders). That's compassionating. But every time some modern revolutionizing idea starts frothing up, old government blows it by blaming it as- 'a washing detergent' for our morals, culture and religion. It's almost strange that a corrupt government is trying that our morals, culture and religion should not get corrupt. If this is the case then think how much good can a non- corrupt government can do.

How can we stop corruption? 'Hey Anna is doing for us!' Leave Anna! For what benefit could he get from our support? Instead of marching behind him we should march alone where no one is marching and try to remove corruption there. Corruption in India is like neurons of a human brain. Which is the severest subtlest in its spreading all over the country and is an evil brain in itself which is undecipherable wholy. Government can't remove corruption on its own but can ask its 1 billion to engulf corruption in one go! The best way to support Anna is that from now if you are going to any government or public sector or private thing, don't bribe them only because it would ease your nerves a little while. But on the contrary it could cause longer, deeper pain on the long run as experienced by we students who have to get success yet. And it's disastrous for you professionals for you have the responsibility of a family (remember Indian families are normaly big enough to handle).

Yes I want an unorthodox governmant! If we look universaly, many things are banned in India. If not by government then by Shivsena type religious gurus or Islamic Scholars ready every time to snap a 'Fatwa' even on your skirts. Small public group also sabotage (albeit their own Indian properties) against modernisation. Behold and lo, Bt. brinjal makes them senti.

Last but not the least comes the question of dignity, of our family, which we have to preserve. So we must not chose any career which will harm the moral consciense of our parents before the society. You can't be a waiter even in a five star hotel, (think more examples), etc.

So if in amidst these you want success, don't try anything else but the same thing which you all know! Yes you all know you have to maintain your careers with your family woes, and how to! The mistake is too soon you all give up and start getting dragged by the circumstances. It's India as I've explained. So it would take time. Yes it would take time. But you will succeed if you won't give up in long runs. Guys, vote this year to some modern government. Bridge the gap!