Sunday, December 14, 2008

Freedom and Me

The word “Freedom” is the most complicated the most treacherous, the most ambiguous, the most enigmatic and yet the most enthralling word of my limited vocabulary.

What is freedom? When for the first time I grasped the meaning of that word? I believe there were many keys in my life which helped me to unlock the doors of thousands of bondages to admit me to that divine kingdom where you’d believe that you could fly!

Going back a several years through the lane of memory I can see a helplessly curious child, with wide eyes still limpid, who used to look at the night sky & the material world would become imperceptible to her then. If you were present there & if you had seen the reflection of the stars in her eyes; then probably you could apprehend some amongst the endless emotions which used to bubble up inside her heart. I am sure R Kelly got the inspiration of his song from by looking into such a pair of eyes.

& the azure sky flooded with golden sun rays were no less awe inspiring. She lived in an alien world then where in the realm of the unadulterated beauty & care of Mother Nature, to barrier would dare to impede the wild gush of imaginations.

Years later a the animated version of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi used to evoke the same kind of emotions.& some years later Bibhutibhusun came with another key which let into a world where our oldest friends would welcome us with their unspeakable aronyak enthusiasm, which were misinterpreted as nonchalance to untrained eyes! Running beneath the starry skies on horseback was surely the definition of freedom[though Maneka Gandhi may raise up the sordid question regarding the poor beast’s freedom. but believe me whenever you’ll picture yourself properly in such an environment, the horse will become a part of you!

Then came Sharatchandra & Kamal & I was christened to sacrilege. Then through the magical door of leaky cauldron, a different kind of freedom was tasted which helped to overcome the bondage of insecurity & inferiority of a “Bengali medium” student.

Celline Dion was the person who handed me the key of western music which witnessed many of my blessed moment when I experienced the bliss of freedom!

Computer brought a very personal & private world free from the gaze of inquiries. Internet gave free access to vulnerable human mind & its endless emotions! & also the freedom of publishing my crap writings as the form of Blogs!

A lewd experience in Brindavan ensured the freedom from religion. The most wonderful freedom I’ve ever experienced. British Council Library with its solemn racks of thousands of books has till date been the heaven of my kingdom of freedom. It was here where I came across the creations of Paulo Coelho which showed me the freedom of distinguishing spirituality from religion.

View on the proposed amendment of IPC section 497

Here’s another example of moral policing by our fu**wit politicians. Yes, I am referring to the proposed amendment of IPC Section 497, the chapter of our constitution dealing with adultery. The committee has proposed that a criminal charge be brought against the women committing adultery and the punishment might include 5years of imprisonment and fine or both. Now this amendment might seem to take a righteous stride to expunge gender based apartheid against men as only adulterous men are under the glare of our existing law but it is overlooking some socio-economical as well as emotional quandaries. Women in Indian society, especially women without any economic mean to support themselves are commonly thrust into a marriage against their will. The age difference between the husband and the wife is often lugubrious with the husband ageing over 40 and the bride just on the verge of their adulthood. Most of the families still regard women as a burden and the circumstantial pressure forges a strenuous impact of the mind of the young adult and they often consent into marriage just to get rid of their chastising parents and irritating brothers and disparaging neighbors. So, most of the times, their mind and body are crumbled by the stipulating urge of a more developed husband. And if they find solace in some external element, are they really to be blamed?

Besides, sexual relationships are often a spur of the moment thing. It’s ridiculous to be absolutely sure in present era that a marriage will bond the couples until death do them part. Rather 1st marriage now-a-days has become synonymous with mistake. It’ll be imbecile on the part of our politicians to try and refute this zeitgeist. There are some more important issues [like a stringent law on terrorism] which are in dire need of their immediate attention. but they are trying to divert our mind by creating hullabaloo over some issues in which there is no need of them to poke their nose. the lawmakers and our sanctimonious “netas” should better quit being sex police and at best they might consider wiping out the existing adultery law and regard the practice of adultery as a ground for the other spouse to seek divorce or a moral offence entitling the offender to pay financial compensation to the spouse [the unemployed / economically downtrodden one, be it the husband or the wife], rather than making it a criminal offense.

Monday, December 8, 2008

The Incarcerated

He always avoided wandering alone beneath the naked sky after sunset. But tonight was his judgment night. The big empty flat had gnawed his consciousness. Almost sedated, he came out of his apartment & went to the rooftop garden, succumbing himself to the scathing, piercing glance of Her. She was robbing him off his self respect. There was no miasma to veil him. And he knew he could not get back inside the apartment; it’ll not allow him to. It was a co-conspirator of this sinister plan.

That calypso had always tried to detain him, to seduce him through her amorous calligraphy inscribed in the ominous firmament. But he detested her splendour, feared her exquisiteness. Her magnificence beleaguered him. It made him sick; a dour liquid swiveled inside his stomach every time he looked at her. Funnily, she never afflicted him whenever anyone else was with him so he made it a point never to wander alone if she was anywhere near his archdiocese.

Consequently he almost forgot her. She was nowhere to be seen in his luminous city of skyscrapers. He was busy attending his college throughout the day and was immersed in gossiping with his flat mates and in notes during the nights. Today when all his friends went home he really didn’t mind being left alone. His practical exams were not yet over so he had to stay and besides he knew that She won’t be there to unnerve him with her monstrous golden rays, not in a new moon night like tonight!

But She was there, even though invisible in the ordinary mortal eyes. But he could see her; She had cursed him with a unique vision. He could feel the imperceptible moonlight burning his skin. But this burning had a entirely different sensation. Like a drunk he spread his arms and started dancing and his fear transformed into something else. He wondered if the hatred he felt towards her actually veiled some emotion of a different nature, some ardent, fanatical, obsessive yet helpless emotion. May be that fluid inside his stomach had a different nature altogether! Suddenly he craved to embrace her, to feel her with every nerve cells of his body and looked at her with an intensity with which he never looked at any girl.

Next afternoon, they found his corpse in that rooftop.

The police were at a loss to explain the cause of death. No external/ internal injury was found. His face looked jovial, his eyes were open. But their queer, fervent yearning gaze chilled the spine of anyone who looked at them.