I was at Adlabs cinema in the building that houses Big Bazaar at Ameerpet. I had gone there to watch a movie "Wanted" starring Angelina Jolie. A decent movie to watch at a not so impressive theatre. It was a perfectly harmless evening until after the movie got over. When I got out I found, to my amazement that my bike was towed away by the traffic police from the Big Bazaar Building premises. Why and how?? Here's the story..
When I drove in I was not allowed to go to the Parking in the cellar of the building. The reason, I was told was, the parking was full. I had to watch the movie and I had to park the bike somewhere to watch the movie. So I asked the Security Gaurds there and they directed me to a corner on a lane adjoining the Building which was very much inside the building premises. I must have asked atleast 5 different guys if it was safe to park the bike there? They all noded in conformation. And so with a lot of doubt in my mind I parked the bike there. It so happened that the place where I and a few other people had parked their bikes was in a corner close to the main road. The reason the cops gave me for towing away my bike and the reason why I was so apprehensive before finally deciding on parking my bike there.
I had to pay a fine of Rs. 200 for getting my bike back. I was obviously angered by the whole thing. I mean how can my bike be towed away from inside the premises of the shopping mall. Why was I directed there, if they knew that this problem would arise. Why was there no board to say that it was a NO Parking area. What were the security guards doing when my bike along with 6 or 7 others parked in the same place were being towed away? Mind you there a were atleast 50 other bikes parked in that same place.
I confronted the Operations Manager who happened to be at that very place the entire evening. I made it rather easy for him to understand my displeasure. I simply went up to him and said - "Why the fuck did my bike get towed away from your building premises? I had to pay 200 fucking rupees to get my bike back". A heated argument followed, words were exchanged. All this in the presence of a Traffice Police Inspector and a Havildar. After calling each other names and exchanging profanities for 20 odd minutes right at the entrance to the mall, I finally decided there was no point talking to some lame asshole who will never admit that he was at fault. I was just about to get on to my bike when Bang!! That fucking idiot caught me unawares and boxed me on my face. Boxed me in front of a crowd of 50 people, a Havildar and a Traffice Police Inspector. It din't sink in until a few seconds later that I was bleeding from my nose and I was bleeding quite a bit.
I was simply overwhelemed by the whole incident. All I did was walk off from there. I just walked off. There were people urging me to file a complaint. There was my brother asking me why the fuck did I not him back? And I simply walked off.. Why did I not hit him back.. Why did I walk away, atleast at that time, without filing a complaint. What was I thinking. Was it just cowardice on my part? May be? What would you have done? Would you have got yourself in that situation in the first place?
I eventually filed a complaint only to withdraw it 12 hours later. I did not have the energy to fight a legal battle. My self esteem was hurt and was hurt bad. I still can't digest the fact that I didn't do anything to retaliate. I did not do anything to make that sorry Son of Bitch understand that what he did was wrong. Its been 2 days now and I still can't get over it. I want to do something. I don't know what. My ego is hurt. This is playing on my mind way too much. I have to put an end to it. And the only I can do it is if I confront that guy.
What do I do?
All this said and done.. I learnt a very big leason from this unfortunate incident. I will probably never speak to anybody else in the way I spoke to that guy. I should get a grip on my self. I must control my temper. I understand now that the better way to make your displeasure felt is by talking calmly(as opposed to exchanging profanities).
But I will never again in my life let another soul dent my self esteem, the way I let the Big Bazaar manager do it. I will stand up for my self. And if I have to I will fight. This incident is the only regret I have in my life and this probably will be the last one.
This is a promise I make to myself, more than to all of you - I will get a grip on myself and control my rage if I ever get into this kind of a situation again. But if for whatever reasons another man lays his hands on me, i will not think twice before giving it back to him.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Disturbing Thought
“You must acknowledge Jesus Christ and believe in Him. You must follow in his footsteps or you will go to hell. Every thing else is rubbish.” This was a statement that one of my very good friends made to me in a casual discussion we were having on religion and beliefs. I am not that much of a believer but I was genuinely surprised to hear these words coming out of an educated and otherwise sensible person working in a respectable IT Services company.
Is it correct to make such a statement? Can and should any person preach the word of God in this way? How much of a problem can such an irresponsible statement cause in a country like India? This might seem like a small incident that happened over coffee at work. But essential it is a problem that is not given the attention it deserves and which I feel is of immense importance in a country like ours. My arguments in support of my statement will hopefully convince you as to why this is an issue that has to be addressed cautiously and with a lot of tact.
India is a country which is home to almost every major religion that is practiced in the world today. To be fair to all Indians, we have lived peacefully for hundreds of years. But is the peace and brotherhood just a display to show people that we can coexist in a diverse environment? Or is it peace and brotherhood in the true sense of the phrase? Are we truly secular? How would you define secular?
Right from the time a child learns to speak, he/she is taught to pray to God. Even before that, he/she is told stories at bed time of Lord Ram’s righteous and virtuous life; or how one man, Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind; or about Prophet Mohamed and his teachings. Bed time stories at one time which transform into strong beliefs and devotion when young boys and girls transform into the so called sensible “men and women”.
The Indian community consists of millions of people coming from varied backgrounds and religious communities. So I ask you, is it right to make a statement similar to the one in the first few lines of this article? Add a hint of extremism to this and then imagine what the consequences could be? Does it not become a recipe for disaster? Let me re-phrase the question I put to you earlier. Under these circumstances, can and should a sensible and educated person make remarks like that? A statement like that challenges centuries of beliefs. A statement like that could trigger the violent side of an otherwise calm and composed individual.
The point I am trying to make is this – Preaching one particular line of thought at the expense of the other or questioning a belief that has been nurtured through time immemorial can have disastrous effects on a nation, especially a secular one like ours. You may ask how is all this relevant to us. We have numerous religious communities in India each trying to win over that part of the population that is still not under their control. The war of religions is constantly being waged to win over more and more believers. The means employed, I feel, are not necessarily honest. If this constant war is being waged then how can we call ourselves Secular? After all doesn’t secularism, at a very basic level, mean religious tolerance? Doesn’t it also mean that religion is practiced only inside the four walls of a person’s house?
These last few lines may make more sense to you than the entire article -
Why should a person challenge the credibility of Religion A in order propagate his Religion B? Why can’t you just lay the facts on the ground and let every person decide what he/she wants to believe? If you want to preach, please, by all means!! But preach about your beliefs and do not question the credibility of the beliefs of others.
I may have touched upon a very small aspect of this issue but I have definitely opened up a very meaningful debate. Mind you, this debate is not to be fought here but within yourself, until a time when you can respect and acknowledge the beliefs and sentiments of the people around you. And the day when every single individual understands this, we can call ourselves Secular. And from that day forward, we can truly establish ourselves on the path of progress.
The ball is in your court now!!
PS: A Muslim is still not welcome with open hands in most traditional Hindu families. A Jain claims that the Buddhist is constantly conspiring against him. A Christian wants to spread his teachings across the radius of the country but doesn’t always employ the honest means. Everybody reacts strongly to religious issues; almost everybody talks ill of the other believers and yet everybody decides to put their differences aside when it comes to getting their work done. It is high time we put an end to all this hypocrisy around us. It is time for every single one of us to grow up and act responsibly.
Is it correct to make such a statement? Can and should any person preach the word of God in this way? How much of a problem can such an irresponsible statement cause in a country like India? This might seem like a small incident that happened over coffee at work. But essential it is a problem that is not given the attention it deserves and which I feel is of immense importance in a country like ours. My arguments in support of my statement will hopefully convince you as to why this is an issue that has to be addressed cautiously and with a lot of tact.
India is a country which is home to almost every major religion that is practiced in the world today. To be fair to all Indians, we have lived peacefully for hundreds of years. But is the peace and brotherhood just a display to show people that we can coexist in a diverse environment? Or is it peace and brotherhood in the true sense of the phrase? Are we truly secular? How would you define secular?
Right from the time a child learns to speak, he/she is taught to pray to God. Even before that, he/she is told stories at bed time of Lord Ram’s righteous and virtuous life; or how one man, Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the betterment of mankind; or about Prophet Mohamed and his teachings. Bed time stories at one time which transform into strong beliefs and devotion when young boys and girls transform into the so called sensible “men and women”.
The Indian community consists of millions of people coming from varied backgrounds and religious communities. So I ask you, is it right to make a statement similar to the one in the first few lines of this article? Add a hint of extremism to this and then imagine what the consequences could be? Does it not become a recipe for disaster? Let me re-phrase the question I put to you earlier. Under these circumstances, can and should a sensible and educated person make remarks like that? A statement like that challenges centuries of beliefs. A statement like that could trigger the violent side of an otherwise calm and composed individual.
The point I am trying to make is this – Preaching one particular line of thought at the expense of the other or questioning a belief that has been nurtured through time immemorial can have disastrous effects on a nation, especially a secular one like ours. You may ask how is all this relevant to us. We have numerous religious communities in India each trying to win over that part of the population that is still not under their control. The war of religions is constantly being waged to win over more and more believers. The means employed, I feel, are not necessarily honest. If this constant war is being waged then how can we call ourselves Secular? After all doesn’t secularism, at a very basic level, mean religious tolerance? Doesn’t it also mean that religion is practiced only inside the four walls of a person’s house?
These last few lines may make more sense to you than the entire article -
Why should a person challenge the credibility of Religion A in order propagate his Religion B? Why can’t you just lay the facts on the ground and let every person decide what he/she wants to believe? If you want to preach, please, by all means!! But preach about your beliefs and do not question the credibility of the beliefs of others.
I may have touched upon a very small aspect of this issue but I have definitely opened up a very meaningful debate. Mind you, this debate is not to be fought here but within yourself, until a time when you can respect and acknowledge the beliefs and sentiments of the people around you. And the day when every single individual understands this, we can call ourselves Secular. And from that day forward, we can truly establish ourselves on the path of progress.
The ball is in your court now!!
PS: A Muslim is still not welcome with open hands in most traditional Hindu families. A Jain claims that the Buddhist is constantly conspiring against him. A Christian wants to spread his teachings across the radius of the country but doesn’t always employ the honest means. Everybody reacts strongly to religious issues; almost everybody talks ill of the other believers and yet everybody decides to put their differences aside when it comes to getting their work done. It is high time we put an end to all this hypocrisy around us. It is time for every single one of us to grow up and act responsibly.
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