The forgotten revolutionary writers of India

While it is a known fact that our revolutionaries were men of exemplary courage, they were equally skilled at using a pen. And I am sure when you read this line, Gandhi ji and Nehru's writings are flashing in front of your eyes. And that's the exact reason why I want to write about the forgotten revolutionary writers of India..

There are 2 letters in Indian history which had deep impact on my mind as a kid.
One of the letters was definitely more famous-
The letter Gandhiji wrote to his father accepting his flaws and deciding to become a better person. That was really something I admired because speaking out truth definitely needed courage.

But equally courageous if not more was a letter Bhagat Singh wrote to his father stating, "Meri dulhan to Azaadi hai!'' I was blown apart reading that letter. It gave me goosebumps. It made me cry.
Equally powerful was Bhagat Singh's essay where he tried explaining why he turned atheist and took up armed violence. Also, while in prison Sukhdev once contemplated suicide and Bhagat Singh wrote him a powerful letter to dissuade him from taking such a step.
And unfortunately all these writings of Bhagat Singh were never a part of our school curriculum and hence for many people Gandhiji's letters and Nehru's letters to Indira are the only ones which come to mind when I talk about their favourite writings from the freedom movement.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar wrote many emotional poems(most of them in Marathi) while he was in Andaman jail but many have no idea about it..

Then there are writings of Ram Prasad Bismil, the stellar works of Ashfaqullah Khan and many more revolutionaries which have been forgotten by time and history..

Many people asked me today why I oppose Gandhi ji. My answer is- I don't hate him, I respect him for a person that he was but somehow in the shadow of Gandhi we have forgotten countless other revolutionaries who contributed much more than Gandhi ever could for the freedom of the country..
While we build memorials for Gandhi ji and continue to bear the burden of another Gandhi family, let us not forget the contributions of those whose birthdays are not celebrated as National holidays..

On Gandhi Jayanti, let us not forget that Gandhi wasn't the only one. No, the Azaadi didn't come, "Bina khadag, Bina Dhaal!"

JAY HIND.

~ Devashish Palkar

P.S. I have included only those revolutionaries whose writings I have had the pleasure of reading and I am sure there are many which are not a part of the list. If you know any apart from these, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.. Thank you. 

NEWTON

In times when I am preparing for my Entrance exam, I can't afford to watch many movies. I had vowed myself to only watch one movie between my birthday and my exams in December, and that was going to be a toss up between NEWTON and LUCKNOW CENTRAL(which features my favourite, Farhan Akhtar.) Thanks to bad reviews of LUCKNOW CENTRAL, I decided to give it a miss and I am happy i could watch NEWTON because of that.
India's official entry to the Oscars, NEWTON is a terrific movie which compels us to view India from a perspective and a place where the concept of India itself is unknown.
And it is not even the peripheral India that we are talking about but the heart of India- the dangerous Dandakaranya forests in Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand along regions where not just state borders but even the concept of democracy blurs out.. It doesn't make sense to the villagers and why would it? It doesn't make sense to us, and why would it? We have never interacted before. We only have misconceptions and stereotypes about each other. For them we are infiltrators and for us they are terrorists and the movie attempts to break this concept.
These villagers are trapped between two groups who are hell bent on establishing their supremacy - the Naxalites and the Indian army, even if it means burning down entire villages to 'mark their territories', operating on the same concept which the wild animals around them have taught them.
And in this gory, never ending battle are trapped some of India's most underdeveloped villages, which only exist on the map- nobody- no government, no politician dares to visit these places.
Communication is a problem for they speak a dialect which is not understandable to our men in uniform and suspicion always overpowers humanity in the jungle.
And in this place are caught two strong men hell bent on carrying out their duties- a young government officer, Nutan Kumar who calls himself NEWTON and Aatma Singh, a representative of our men in uniform.
While Nutan or NEWTON is a novice, 25 year old educated, hard working and honest to a fault presiding officer tasked with the job of carrying out elections for the first time in village with only 76 voters, he is up against Aatma Singh, the man whose concept of a successful day means ' a day without casualities' which in itself is rare in these areas. They both clash as they both want to do their duty- the polling booth is 8 km deep from the army base camp and it means treading through the dangerous forests on foot where even the break of tiny branch from a tree in broad daylight is met with a suspicion and highalert and Aatma Singh is in no mood to risk his jawans just for the sake of elections which he tries to convince NEWTON are going to do no good to democracy or the villagers. But NEWTON is a novice who comes from urban India and like the movie watcher he must discover this concept 'different India' to believe it. There are risks involved but for NEWTON, honesty and integrity come before life and death and he is in no mood to go back with 0% voter turnout. NEWTON is representative of the soul of everyday Indian who has grown up watching TV and what media wanted us to see. He finds the reality to be very different. For a firm believer in the concept of democracy, every frame brings with it a new shock, a new realization and sort of enlightenment as he puts on a bulletproof jacket and decides to venture through the jungles with only one mission- to carry out elections.
Rajkummar Rao speaks less but whenever he speaks he has only questions and it annoys Aatma Singh until he puts a condition that he can't ask him any question in the jungle. There is humor, dark comedy, there is sarcasm and there is subtlety and finally realization that India can't change overnight- but day by day if we all follow NEWTON- a scientist who gave the concept that laws of gravity and motion are honest and equal for every person, animal or thing on this earth and you can neither deny nor claim to own these laws but have to abide by them. Hum sab mein ek NEWTON hai jo imaandari se kaam karna chahta hai par woh kahi chhup gaya hai. These are the concepts around which the movie revolves.

 It is not a movie about providing answers but an honest attempt at asking the right questions.
The performances of every character are top notch but the plot and the surrounding are real heroes in this 'Day in the life of an election officer in Dandakaranya' rather than a movie. Watch it only if you have patience and an open mind. And yes make sure to carry your brains along for this one, an idea which is otherwise considered dangerous if you are watching a typical Bollywood no-brainer..
P.S. It's not a movie to be enjoyed with popcorn and cola So avoid it if that's your only thing..

~ Devashish Palkar

LEARNINGS FROM STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

"Some of the rituals and customs in our culture were meant to protect us during those times but unfortunately we have continued with these downtrodden practices for far too long..
For example, earlier it was followed in our culture that women wouldn't be allowed to visit temples during their periods. There was a logical reasoning behind it which nobody noticed. I came to know about it only after I watched one of Sadhguru's lectures on YouTube. He said that this practice was followed because in those times, temples were invariably in a jungle or a hill top where people would need to travel on foot which would mean that they were always at a threat of being attacked by animals in the wild. And taking a woman who was in her periods along would mean that the risk would only multiply since wild animals would be attracted to the smell of human blood. Also, more importantly during the periods, women tend to feel weak and thus climbing mountains or walking barefoot in jungles for a visit to temple would be illogical for her health.
To allow her a rest, this practice was followed. But now, there are no forests left thanks to our wanton destruction and hardly nobody travels through jungles on foot these days for a visit to temple hence Sadhguru says, the time has come to give up this practice and allow women to go to temples whenever they want..
This is just one example..
But still on some levels, we have failed to evolve with time..
We, as humans, need to learn from Staphylococcus aureus.
Many of the bacteria produce peroxidase which provides a kind of safety net for their growth but it ultimately generates free radicals and kills its own cells..
Now this could be dangerous..
But Staphylococcus is smart. It produces an enzyme catalase to destroy the peroxidase whenever its levels increase above permissible values. And thus Staphylococcus continues to rule the world of microbiology being the single largest group of disease forming bacteria in the human body.
Those who remain trapped in the security of safety, don't run a long race..
Life only begins when we move out of our peroxidase, our comfort zone.
High time we, humans, developed CATALASE, isn't it??"
P.S. The only reason why bacteria and viruses have outlived everyone on this planet is because of its ability to adapt and not remain trapped in its own 'paramparas' and 'rituals'. A lesson for humanity?

~Devashish Palkar

VIKAS and the BULLET TRAIN

A liberal goes to a restaurant with his friend.
The waiter comes up and asks,
"Sir, Pani- Regular ya Mineral, sir?"
"Of course, Mineral!" exclaims the liberal.
"Ok, sir. Order?"
"We Will have some beef curry and mutton pulao."
The waiter goes to the kitchen with the order..
The conversation starts..
Liberal 1- "So, you checked the news.? About the Bullet train thing?"
Liberal 2- "Yea man. So pathetic. I mean this is hypocrisy by Modi Govt and nothing more.
I mean there are so many railway accidents occuring and all they care for are the cows and Bullet trains!"
Liberal 1- "Yes. And there are so many people who can't even afford the normal trains. This is bad. We must protest. I will not use Bullet train."
Liberal 2- "Aye. Aye. Me too.. Let's protest. Let's take down this COW-munal Government! Ha ha. Come on"
Meanwhile, the waiter arrives and fills their glasses with the jug he has brought instead of the packaged drinking water.
Both liberals in unison- "What the heck are you doing? We asked for a packaged drinking water, didn't we?"
Waiter- "Sorry, sir. I just checked the refrigerator. We have run out of stock!"
Both liberals in unison- "Oh no. What will we do now?"
A person who was silently listening to the conversation so far, stands up from across the table and says "Guys, you know, 40% Indians don't get sufficient potable water. 99% Indians don't drink packaged drinking water. So, does that mean we stop all the factories making packaged drinking water?
You guys are amazing. You don't want to let us construct Bullet trains but at the same time you want VIKAS? How's that humanly possible?
Should we stop hosting IPL until Sunil Chhetri gets a multi-million dollar offer from Manchester United? Would you stop drinking packaged drinking water till every single person gets potable water in this country?
Progress should not and does not stop just because there's poverty on one side of the spectrum. If America had waited for all of its citizens to buy Rolls Royce before investing in space shuttles, Neil Armstrong wouldn't have taken that 'giant leap'! We all know Bullet train is not the only definition of progress. But at least it sets our vision clear on the path to progress. It is a small beginning but may be when we look at it retrospectively 10 years later, we will realize it was a giant step indeed!"

~ Devashish Palkar.

Dedicated to all people who are missing VIKAS. ✌

Of YO-YO TEST AND THE NBE SCAM

1.YO-YO TEST AND THE FITNESS CONUNDRUM

Fitness is an important part of any sport.
Important in cricket as well.
But it shouldn't be the only criteria for deciding a team.
Fitness in cricket is like having good handwriting. Helps a lot in theory exams but when it comes to solving MCQs, you need something more than that.
Fitness levels in cricket can't be compared with fitness levels in other Sports.
No Sport in the world is played across 5 days or for that matter 8 hours at a stretch (as it happens in an ODI game.)
Most sports are played for 90-180 mins, the duration of a T20 match, and in these Sports agility and strength training are an integral part. Importantly, while you have to be involved in every minute of other Sports, cricket offers you a safety that half of the time you will be rested provided your bowlers aren't as bad as Sri Lankans.
And thus my point is- You can never compare the fitness of a Beckham with that of a Sachin.
I am in no way trying to make a point for Yuvraj Singh here but consider Yuvraj of 2011 Worldcup.
He was harbouring a tumor in his chest and coughing up blood on field.
If today's standards of fitness, the so called YO-YO TEST, which is based more on agility and strength rather than endurance, had been applied then, Yuvraj would have been out of Worldcup and we might have never won it. I just wonder if someone like Dravid and Laxman who weren't the swiftest and most agile of players would have passed the test. Having said that they were fit enough to bat days together, which requires an altogether different levels of fitness..
Also, Sehwag for most part of his career was overweight and yet was fit enough to be alongside only Don Bradman, Brain Lara and Chris Gayle to have scored 300 in an innings twice in test matches. Chris Gayle, mind you is considered a statue on the field. He hardly moves. But when he puts on a helmet and picks up a bat we all know what havoc he is capable of creating!!
While I completely agree Yuvraj is nearing his end, I just feel selectors are playing it safe to call his ouster from the team on the basis of fitness rather than runs, which Yuvraj has scored aplenty this year, if you take out the last 3-4 innings.
Also, it sends a wrong message to other players as someone like MS Dhoni who is clearly below par with his batting can now be afforded a safety of occupying a place in the team only because he is fitter than the young and talented Rishabh Pant.

2. NBE SCAM

So, Dr. Batra has been accused of a corruption scam and has been removed as the head of National Board of Examinations, the body responsible for conducting NEET.
And it has been only one year since NEET exams started..
This is fucking disgraceful.
How impotent are we as a nation that we can't conduct a single exam transparently and that too when the whole set up of the examination is based on a successful module adopted by USA for many years hassle free..
Atleast learn from Anu Malik and Pritam on how to make copied thing a hit but NBE has even failed at that it seems..
I don't understand why are only such people like Suresh Kalmadi, N Sreenivasan, and Dr. Batra appointed to these posts?
We need more people like Dr. Anand Rai, the doctor responsible for whistleblowing the Vyapam Scam who was later disowned by RSS and BJP for exposing the truth. Yet, he was successful in bringing the scam in open.
Why are such honest men never appointed to important posts where honesty and integrity are of utmost value?
What is the difference between your government Mr. Narendra Modi and the UPA Govt?
Just making better speeches ain't gonna work everytime.
P.S. For those who might be thinking- but there are no scams this Govt is involved in as of now, my sincere advice is to wait for the 2nd term before we judge them.
Most scams of UPA came out only in its 2nd term. I just hope this Govt doesn't follow in the UPA Govt's footsteps..

~ Devashish

Independence Day Poem

"Through songs of glory
And chattering hymns,
Through uproars
And shrieks,
Through ghastly silence
Through raucous war cries..
Through tyrannical invaders
And punchdrunk rulers..
Through powercrazy democracy
And the blind judiciary..
I sometimes wonder how my country has survived..

Perhaps,
Irrigated by the holy waters of the rivers galore,
And resurrected by holier blood of patriotic valour..
A crazy zeal to protect the tricolour..
Of some unfathomable sacrifices done without a favour..

Yes, somehow we have survived.
We have fought back the evil only to see the birth of a new evil.
But as the evil continues to threaten and smother us in the midnight hour,
A revolution is brewing somewhere,
And a new India is taking its first little baby steps..
I am sure it will rise up and start to walk on its own,
Run, jump and learn to dream of flying high one day using the wings of fire and courage..
The golden bird is long buried,
The blossoming bud is all that is left of us..
The dark clouds of gloom
Will pass
And a resplendent morning awaits our sun kissed shores."

-Devashish Palkar

INDIA- A BLOSSOMING BUD

(An old poem I had written at a time when UPA-II Govt was at the height of its corruption and new scams were breaking every week. So, many of these points might not hold true, but some still continue to pester us Indians even today.. )


"INDIA"-The word itself evokes a wave of patriotism in my heart. But its rather disheartening that some of our countrymen, our brothers and sisters, the sons of the very soil, who instead of being grateful to the motherland for her bounty, curse her, malign her and try to denigrate her, and very blatantly forget our duties as sons and daughters, the fact that we are the ones responsible for her tragic fate and also the fact that all the power lies within us..! its up to us how we carry the flag of our INDIA forward and storm the world with our knowledge and deeds or malign her by our callous, selfish deeds!!]
 P.S.- I DEDICATE THIS POEM TO EVERY CITIZEN OF INDIA IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THEY ARE PROUD OF INDIA OR FEEL ASHAMED TO BE INDIANS!!  I JUST HOPE IT EVOKES A SENSE OF PRIDE IN YOUR HEART AND REMINDS YOU OF YOUR DUTIES AND ABILITIES..!!



THIS IS THE STORY OF THE GREAT NATION!
SITUATED BETWEEN THE HIMALAYAS AND GREAT BLUE OCEAN!!


HISTORY DUBBED IT- 'THE GOLDEN BIRD'!
PRESENT CALLS IT- 'THE BLOSSOMING BUD'!!


ONCE UPON A TIME- 'A HEAVENLY LAND'!
A LAND WHERE EVIL WAS BANNED!!


AND TODAY AS THE EVIL RISES UNINHIBITED,
ITS TIME FOR US TO REALIZE THAT- TO THIS LAND WE ARE GREATLY INDEBTED!!
FOR THIS IS OUR HOME THAT  WE HAVE INHABITED!


A PLACE WHERE THE REAL WEALTH USED TO BE EDUCATION!
TROUBLED TODAY BY THE FIGHTS FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION!
SOILED BY THE OMNIPRESENT SYSTEM OF 'RESERVATION'!!


AN ADMINISTRATION WITHOUT ANY NOTION!
A STATE OF TOTAL COMMOTION!!


YES, THIS IS THE STORY OF A NATION!
SMOTHERED BY THE EPIDEMIC OF CORRUPTION!!


AND AS THE RUPEE FALLS AND DOLLAR RISES;
WE ARE TRAPPED IN THE IDENTITY CRISES!!


THE POWER- CRAZY BUREAUCRACY!
AND THE RAPE OF DEMOCRACY!


THE BRIMMING RIVER AND THE EVERGREEN FOREST!
WE CALLOUSLY REDUCED IT ALL TO WASTE!!


HOW SHAMELESSLY WE PLUNDERED HER GLORIES AND TREASURE!
ONLY FOR OUR GREED AND MALICIOUS PLEASURE!!


BUT NOW ITS TIME TO RISE FOR THE NEW GENERATION!
AND SURGE A WAVE OF REVOLUTION!


ITS TIME TO TAKE A BIG STRIDE,
TO RESTORE AND SALVAGE THE LOST PRIDE!!


AS THE NEW INDIA LEARNS TO FLY,
LIKE A YOUNG BIRD IN AN ALREADY CROWDED SKY!


ITS TIME TO LEARN FROM OUR PAST LOSSES,
AS INDIA UNDERGOES A METAMORPHOSES!!


ITS TIME FOR REDEMPTION!
ITS TIME FOR RESURRECTION!!


ITS TIME TO PICK UP THE BROOM
AND CLEAR THIS MESS AND GLOOM!
YES! ITS OUR TIME TO BLOOM!!
AND PUT AN END TO THE DAYS OF DOOM!!


THIS IS THE STORY OF A 'REJUVENATED NATION',
READY TO STORM THE WORLD WITH HER KNOWLEDGE AND IMAGINATION!!


"ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU.. ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY!!"

- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN!!
"KOI BHI DESH PERFECT NAHI HOTA.. USE PERFECT BANANA PADTA HAI!!"- the famous lines from ''RANG DE BASANTI"!


"JAY HIND"

THE GLORIOUS WOMEN IN BLUE

THE GLORIOUS WOMEN IN BLUE

Our Women's cricket team almost did a Chak De last night.
Almost.
But that is no reason for us to not celebrate how far this team has come.
It is never too easy for a woman to play a sport she loves in a country like ours where even marriage and number of kids she should have are decided by her family first and then by her in laws.
Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, the two longest serving Indian Womens' cricketer did just that and more.
Fought not just on cricket field but fought with the patriarchal society as a warm up every time they stepped up on the 22 yards.
The other day, Harmanpreet Kaur defied gender based myths by smacking powerful sixes which would have made Sehwag and Gayle proud..
I am sad Mithali, the Tendulkar of Women's cricket won't end up with a Worldcup like her male counterpart.
But she surely has inspired a generation of young girls who should now come out of their houses and pick their brothers' bats or better still ask them to bowl..
Whether we remain restricted only to Deepika Padukone's 'I am a free woman and I have the freedom to show my cleavage!' kind of feminism or the kind which Mithali and many of her teammates defied and redefined is upto us now.
THEY FOUGHT. THEY LOST. THEY STILL WON..

JAY HIND.

~Devashish

THE SWADESHI CONUNDRUM

THE SWADESHI CONUNDRUM

Over the last few months I am sure everyone has at least once received a WhatsApp forward urging us to buy only Swadeshi products and display our patriotism.

I am sorry to say but when we talk about using swadeshi items we must also look out for what they are doing with our money.
I mean someone like Microsoft through it's Gates foundation has done more for India than Reliance and Infosys combined when it comes to leading the way in Corporate Social Responsibility.
Also, I was a firm supporter of Patanjali, but many of their products are misleading and do not have the adequate research to back up their claims..

Others like Vicco are exceptionally good products but due to Baba Ramdev wave many of the good and authentic swadeshi products have lost their market..
I don't think we should buy Patanjali products just as a symbol of patriotism..

Counterviews are welcome.

Jay Hind.. 

The fearful generation?!

Do we realize we are the most timid generation of Homo Sapiens?
Remember the confessions page?
Well, thank god most of those pages are not functioning now..
But we are still afraid to express our true feelings to someone and hence we need sayat.me
We are too afraid to confront someone and tell them directly that we feel hurt by their actions and instead we will put a philosophical quote regarding karma and wrongly credit Buddha for the quote as our WhatsApp story and wait for him/her to have seen it..

We are too afraid of our own identities..
Or the identities that we have created in society, on social media and in real life which are clearly 3 different representations of our own self!!
We constantly live in fear of being misunderstood but the fact is we have never taken the time out to understand ourselves.
We have been too diplomatic when we are in public and too abusive when we wear the mask of anonymity.
The struggle is to find the right balance.
To be true to ourselves instead of wearing a different mask for each occasion.
We are afraid of losses.
We can't handle the victories..
We are afraid of acceptance.
Oh and just don't talk about denial and rejection.
Sorry we can't handle that.

We are afraid to say the first hello.
We are afraid to put our hand out for the fear opposite one might not extend his..
We are afraid to say sorry..
We are afraid to accept an apology..
Yes, we are the most timid generation of Homo Sapiens and the irony is we pretend to be the strongest and most evolved..

Kohli vs Kumble- A counterview

COUNTERVIEW


Yes, Kumble has stepped down as the head coach of India and he has come out in open and declared how captain had 'reservations' against his style.

Fair enough.

If two individuals can't work together it doesn't always mean they don't have respect for each or that Kohli abuses or has a fight with Kumble behind closed doors, does it?

The reason why people are supporting Kumble on this issue is a natural human tendency to compare- a past legend with around 900 international wickets to a captain who got out cheaply and lost the finals against our arch rivals.

Imagine a situation where Virat Kohli had scored another of those daddy hundreds and got India over the line on Sunday with a brilliant 150. Would our reactions have been similar? I doubt.

We would have appreciated Kohli of playing the issue graciously.

If you had heard Kohli in one of the pre tournament conferences where the speculations were rife regarding this issue, he handled it in a quite mature manner by declining there were any rifts between team and the coach because that was the right thing to do and focused on the Champions Trophy instead. He could have chosen to spill the brains, but he didn't.

Watching cricket on television sets might not be the perfect way to judge the  intricacies of relationship between Kohli and Kumble and to think why Kohli couldn't work with such a gentleman like Kumble.

If two persons were to always work their way out, divorce lawyers would have died of starvation.

The fact that Kumble came out openly and put the issue in public before Kohli ever commented on the issue also makes me think Kumble knew of this human tendency where public sympathy would always be with the legend than a captain who failed in the finals and knew this was the right time..

Imagine if Muralidharan had been the coach of India and if there had been trouble brewing between Kohli and Murali. Would you have supported a cricketer with 800 test wickets? No. Just because he was not Indian.?

I don't think coach should be considered a foreigner. Or an Indian legend. A coach is a coach. We make the mistake when we considered a coach's individual record and presume that he would be the best person in the room which might not always be true.

Cricket after all is not football. It is and will always remain a captain's game.
A captain will take the team forward and has to make the decisions on field on his own unless of course he is Steve Smith and looking for cues from the dressing room.

Immense respect for Kumble but I think his style of coaching would do wonders for teams like South Africa and Australia which believe in hard work and sweating it out more than Indians do on occasion.

Having said that, Kohli needs to be consulted when selecting a coach on temporary basis because a coach will be there for a year or two whereas a captain is assumed to have a much longer tenure.

I remember there was a very good tuition teacher when I was in 12th and we all used to attend his classes but there was a guy who could not just get along with his style of teaching. His parents felt he was being too hard. But when he changed the classes he continued to do well in studies. In fact, better.

~ Devashish Palkar

PRESIDENT - The biggest misnomer in India?

PRESIDENT

I remember as a school kid when we were taught this particular chapter about President in Civics. Must have been in 5th Standard. I felt so much in awe of all the special powers mentioned in the text (which was of course a very important long question for final exams!). Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was the President at that time and he was rightly the people's President. We loved him so much as kids. In fact the only non-fiction books I read in primary school from the library were "The Wings of Fire" and "Ignited minds" both penned by Abdul Kalam.
The word PRESIDENT had so much weightage and respect when Kalam sir was around.
Fast forward to today where PRESIDENT is perhaps the biggest misnomer in Indian politics- a powerful man handcuffed by the politics and used only as a pawn in the dirty game of caste and regional based appeasement politics..
The closest rhyming word which defines a person who is equally powerless is a RESIDENT in a multi speciality hospital.
Today, I want to apologise to Alia Bhatt for making fun of her for not knowing the name of our President.
Frankly speaking, there is nothing I would want or expect anyone to know about an Indian President today because that would be a futile exercise- more futile than perhaps even the existence Rajya Sabha..
Miss you, Kalam sir..

CRICKET- YOU BEAUTY!!

FINAL WORD.
This has been a beautiful story of a come from behind win from Pakistan. Yes, it is disappointing as an Indian but makes me love this game even more. Cricket like life is a great leveller. Let's be tolerant here and not hurl abuses at team India and just take our hats off for the way Pakistan have fought. It's tough to digest, I know but Sarfraz reminds me of Dhoni from 2007 T20 WC with the way he has led the team..
And Mohd Aamir. What a story he is!!
This is a team ranked 8th and has not played a competitive game at home for last decade almost. This was the last team to qualify for the Champions Trophy and to come and play such a terrific brand of cricket is worthy of every adjective..
Hard luck, India..
#IndvsPak

ISN'T CRICKET A LANGUAGE IN ITSELF?

THE COLONIAL MINDSET

We, the people from subcontinent, are so trapped in the colonial mindset. In some regards we are more English than the English. Anyone who doesn't know English is considered an illiterate, a 'gavar'.
And so while people might think Pakistan skipper, Sarfraz Ahmed is one such cricketer, let me astonish you by informing you that he has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Institute of Business Administration, Karachi which is considered one of the finest Institutes in Pakistan. He is more educated than Dhoni and Kohli..

Remarkably, we are a part of country where our own Prime Minister prefers to speak in Hindi even at international conferences and it is a gesture I highly appreciate..

So, the fact remains- One can effectively communicate in his or her mother tongue only.

Yes, English is definitely not Sarfraz's preferred language but he looks to be a genuinely nice guy when he talks in press conferences and very honest in admitting his shortcomings. Unlike some other Pakistani cricketers of the past, Sarfraz seems to be the last person to pick up a fight or hurl an abuse.. And thank god, he is not all the time chattering behind the stumps either. Akmal was such a pain to the ears!!

All in all, I think Pakistan have a found a true successor to Misbah..
Yes, he may not have the swagger of Kohli or the majestic presence of Dhoni on the field, but he is really good at what he does. To inspire a team ranked no.8 to finals is no mean acheivement and we need to respect the opponent captain. For those who might not be aware, Sarfraz was the captain of the victorious 2006 under 19 WC side which defeated India in the finals..

Let's hope for a great game tomorrow and let's hope we don't indulge in verbal abuses anymore .
P.S.  Shahid Afridi has retired and his mother has stopped watching cricket.. 😉
#IndvsPak

THE 'TON'DULKAR SYNDROME

(Background- India played Bangladesh in Champions Trophy semifinal which turned out to be a one sided affair thanks to our batters who were just too good on a rare sunny day in England.)

THE 'TON'DULKAR SYNDROME

"There was no need for Rohit to play that shot!" My dad shouted as Rohit nonchalantly pulled another short pitched delivery for four..
"With Virat nearing his hundred he should give him strike!" He added.
And as it turned out, Virat hit the winning runs staying unbeaten on 96 which was a high quality innings strudded with some exquisite drives.
But my dad rued the fact that he had missed his 100 by 4 runs due to Rohit Sharma's lack of understanding.
I call this the TONdulkar Syndrome. My dad has grown up in the times of Gavaskar and Sachin where India won very few matches as compared to the regularity with which India beats other opponents today.
For the generation of my dad, a hundred was very important for that was the only thing they could afford to celebrate as 100s came with far more regularity than India's wins. I instantly remember the Multan test. Yes, the one famous for Rahul Dravid declaring the innings with Tendulkar stranded on 194 rather than remembering it as a great test victory for the team. Obviously, Sachin was disturbed and he made it known publicly though he later acted as though he was unruffled by it. But who remembers that even Rahul Dravid was batting on 93 when Sourav Ganguly declared in the Sydney test just a few months before Multan test. There was no fuss about it because Dravid created none..
He didn't need a special home series and the standing ovation at Chinnaswamy.

For all the hundreds Sachin scored, he unfortunately could never finish games with as much consistency as Virat has been doing.
And I think the sooner we get out of this TONDULKAR syndrome and stop idolising only those players who score a TON and start cherishing the victories more than the individual records, the better it will be for our nation..
Hearing Virat Kohli's post match conference, I am pretty sure, while there may or may not be another guy who scores a 100 100s for India, there will fortunately be no other Multan Test in the history of Indian cricket or for that matter that 114 off 147 balls in Mirpur vs Bangladesh to complete his 100th hundred..
"I feel a 100 kilos lighter!" were his words.. 100th 100 was all on his mind, I sometimes wonder!? India lost that match and were knocked out of the Asia Cup..
India has moved on and so should we.
Times of personal glory are gone and it's time to ready ourselves to celebrate another Champions Trophy victory as a team...
If it was like 1990s we would still be saying, "I hope Kohli gets another hundred on Sunday!"
I will just say, "I just hope India beats Pakistan comprehensively!" No matter if Shikhar or Kohli or Rohit get out on 99..
That's how the invincible teams of Australia and West Indies of the past used to play..
Ruthless and boring..
"It's all about making it a routine. We just want to play it as just another game!" as Virat said in the Post match presentation..
Also, something that stood out was how Virat equally credited MS Dhoni for that move to bring in Kedar Jadhav. This camaraderie between an ex skipper and a new skipper is something very soothing and very unheard of in Indian cricket. If you don't think so, just go watch SACHIN's movie and there's a whole section involving the troubled relationship between Sachin and Azhar..
Sachin was undoubtedly the greatest Indian batsman but Kohli is well on his way to becoming India's biggest match winner..
P.S. You might not agree with me on this or you might, but you have to agree that the attitude with which this side is playing is quite akin to the Australia of 1999-2007 phase..
Ruthless and boring..
But Champions nonetheless.. 

READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

"Ages passed in turning pages..
A few willingly, a few unwillingly..
But as I moved from one alphabet to another,
New words sprouted in front of my eyes,
Enchanted me with their
eloquent rhymes,
Engulfed me deep into their meanings,
But some were raucous,
Some vacuous,
Some inscrutable..
Some jumbled up like half baked facts,
Some naked as truths..
And blatant as lies..

Some were capricious and chameleonic,
Though they rhymed the same,
Changed their colours when put differently..
Some appeared simple and short,
And they were deeper than I thought.

And I realized people were words too..

 And as I moved from one chapter to another,
Leaving back the old characters,
A few more words and a few more phrases came and passed me by,
Each left their indelible mark,
An imprint or a scar..
And I again wondered what they meant,
Until I realized that the story never ends,
It only takes a new beginning..

Words come and go,
Alphabets stay loyal..
Creating a beautiful interplay as they collide and dance to form metaphors on my page.
 And as I kept turning and returning to the pages- same old and new,
I learnt not just to read what was written,
But even learnt to read between the lines.. "

 ~ Devashish Palkar

THE HOMECOMING

THE HOMECOMING

"A bandage on my broken arm, a wound in my heart..
Many a pieces I got shattered into, some lost some buried deep..

The day when enemy bullets ransacked us and we were blown apart..
Now I walk dead buried in the guilt of the promises I could not keep..


Yes, we were outnumbered a hundred to seven.
When terrror hit us in the dark of the night..
I am sure they will ask me when we meet in heaven..
If I fought with all my might..
Yes sir, till my broken hand could not lift a gun,
But I promise you even then, I did not run..
Stood there following your order..
Until I collapsed at the border..
Only to be taken in as a survivor..

Oh you will never know the pain of not being able to pick up the gun,
Oh you will never know the pain of picking up the gun!

Oh you will never know the guilt of losing a war.
Oh you will never know the pain of winning a war..

My hands are bloodied, so are theirs..
A bandage on my broken arm, a wound in my heart..
Oh you will never know the pain of coming back alive from the war!!"

~ Devashish Palkar

THE SCAR ON HIS FACE RUNS DEEP!

"THE SCAR ON HIS FACE RUNS DEEP!"

Mayhem in Trauma,
Doctor in coma..
He was meant to serve in the ICU
Not get admitted there himself..
He was meant to heal the wounds,
Not get wounded himself..
The scar on his face runs deep..

He was meant to fix broken bones,
Not get broken himself..
He was meant to stop the blood,
Not get bloodied himself...
The scar on his face runs deep..

Pain, misery, agony- he was supposed to heal them,
Not himself feel them..

Thousand sleepless nights he had stayed awake..
Putting his own health at stake..
Yes, he did want some sleep and rest,
But not at the cost of getting detained for protest..
What an irony, there was nobody who was ready to protect!
How could he keep his soul intact?
Even the law chose to ignore the fact..
Injustice and law had made a wicked pact..
Behind the black blindfolds,
Nobody knew, judiciary had developed a senile cataract..

The scar on his face runs deep..

~ "Dr."Devashish Palkar

(If you respect and care for doctors as much as you care for Sunil Grover/ illegal Tunday Kebab shops in UP, plz share this far and wide till the blind judiciary hears it. It is time to be our own heroes, to raise our own voice because clearly, Media is not interested in our problem. )
#SupportDoctors
#NoViolenceAgainstDoctors

CRY FROM THE WOMB- Women's Day Special

CRY FROM THE WOMB-

''Like a tiny seed sown in a fertile soil,
As I sprout my limbs in my mother's womb..
Still waiting to come out and shout!
I can hear the whispers and see the scorns!

Minds strategizing to kill me.!
Innovative ways to get rid of me! !

My heart trembles as my mother weeps,
For the USG detects me to be a girl!
A mortal sin in the whole world?
Will I live to breath the fresh air?
To play in sun and dance in rain?
Will I survive the wintry night?
Will I live to see the light?
For I am a girl,  not supposed to fight! !
And this is not just my story but many girls' plight!
Wonder how the story will unfurl?
For I was to be born a girl! ''

On this Women's day, I just hope and pray that this becomes the last of such stories!
HappyWomens'Day..

~ Devashish

The Victim Card

Captain Mandeep Singh was martyred while providing security to the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.
He was killed by militants in the Kupwara district of J&K. Now, it is very much possible that these militants were not Pakistanis, they could be just members of the Azadi Brigade of Kashmiri or could even be innocent children of village school headmaster.
Yes, Gurmehar Kaur is right- PAKISTAN DIDN'T ("might not have") killed her father.

But but.. This is exactly where our media failed us.
Mandeep Singh never got prime time shows dedicated to him, never was in the news and headlines of National newspapers for so many days.
The same media which portrays Burhan Wani as innocent and Gurmehar Kaur as a victim of right-wing trolls never made stories when her father became a victim of these militants.

Dear Gurmehar Kaur,  India has never been at war with PAKISTAN. We merely respond to their attacks. If India was at war, Lahore would have been a part of India by now. These big mediahouses are supporting you only because you serve their narrative. You are just a pawn in their bloody game.

#JAYHIND

LECTURE BY THE PVC, HON. CAPTAIN BANA SINGH

Attended the lecture delivered by the respected PVC, Hon Capt Bana Singh in Vadodara today and got to learn something very important-
1. IN PANICK, DO NOT OVERTHINK AND OVER ANALYSE-
 While his paltan were climbing the highest peak of Siachen to fight the Pakistanis who had captured the peak by deceit and had a strategic advantage due to height, they had to fight not just the enemy but also the snow storm and bone freezing -45 degree temperature. Breathing was like an exercise and even though they moved with all determination, they could only climb 150 metres in 8 hours. At that time he said, the most important thing was- to not overthink about the situation. Because once you start to over-analyse the situation, sometimes you tend to lose focus and are not thinking in the moment which is very crucial.

2. STAY GROUNDED ALL THE TIME-
He was so down to earth that he rejected the offers of land and petrolpump made by the various state governments after he was conferred India's highest military award- Param Vir Chakra. He urged the people to not consider him as some kind of a hero but just a dutiful soldier who was lucky to accomplish the mission he was given. Such a humble man.

People like Captain Bana Singh are the real heroes of the nation..

Today, Bana Top, named after Bana Singh is the highest point of the highest battlefield in the world, Siachen.
#RememberTheBrave
#JayHind

THE PARROT AND THE VULTURE.

THE PARROT AND THE VULTURE.

Once upon a time a group of hunters went to a forest. They captured a vulture and a parrot and brought them to the village.
One of the hunters took away the parrot and the other took away the vulture.
Upon going home, the first hunter put the parrot in a cage made of light steel with small grills.
The second hunter put the vulture in a strong iron cage which had bars in its walls.

Once the parrot woke up to consciousness he was saddened to see himself trapped in a cage. It was the first time he had seen the cage though he had heard about it from some of his forest friends. He remembered even his friend, the vulture had been captured by the hunters.
The parrot banged the cage with all his might but the cage didn't bend or break. He thought to himself, "Oh. How lucky the vulture is. He would have easily broken the cage by now and be back in the forest."


The vulture on the other side woke up to see himself trapped in a strong iron cage with bars.
However he noticed there were small gaps between the bars and he thought he could try escaping.
With all his might, he tried to escape through but his giant body and wings came in the way.
He thought to himself, "How lucky the parrot is. He has a smaller body and he would have easily maneuvered his way out and be back in the forest by now."

Both, the parrot and the vulture sat defeated in their respective cages thinking wistfully and cursing their bodies.
However what they didn't realize was- the hunters had by mistake not bolted the door of the cage. With little more brain and little more effort, both could have escaped.
The parrot and the vulture didn't realize that their cages were made differently.


This is what happens to us too.
We curse and crib ourselves and our shortcomings and keep comparing ourselves with others thinking each of us has similar problems. On the contrary the fact is each of us has different obstacles because we are made differently..
A soldier in Rajasthan never suffers from frost bite and a soldier in Siachen never suffers from heat stroke.

There are problems which are unique to each of us. So, what are we going to do- just sit sullenly cursing ourselves or try and explore ways to come out of our cage?

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said-
"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds."

~ Devashish Palkar

I AM A CHILD, ONCE AGAIN..

I am sitting in the Surgery ICU, posted here as a part of my internship rotation. I have a lot of work to do but my work arrives in intervals. So, I am free for 5 minutes and then again, I get called by a nurse or a resident doctor for some work for 10 minutes. The cycle keeps repeating although irregularly.

In the 5 minutes that I am free, I read a page or two of a book that I am carrying. So, its Ruskin Bond some days and Paulo Coelho on other days. And for those 5 minutes, Ruskin Bond takes me to the pristine forests of Himalayas and Paulo Coelho takes me on a walk in one of the lesser known streets of Rio. I came back again to Surgery ICU, Shree Krishna Hospital, Karamsad, Anand, Gujarat, India in a matter of nanoseconds as soon as my ears hear the words, “Intern Bhai!”. Sorry, Mr. Einstein, you were wrong. My Mind travels faster than the light!

I am disturbed once again as I get a news notification on my mobile (I always keep the news notification ON, you know, so that I can be the first one to write a status update on that!!) But this time the news notification brings to me some unexpected joie de vivre; a sense of déjà vu- the familiarity of what was once a habit, now a nostalgic memory, coming alive!! Yes, against all odds, Rafael Nadal has won the semifinals against Grigor Dimitrov in an exciting 5 setter. I could not watch a single serve, a single forehand and yet in my mind I know how Rafael must have played- the benefits of having followed his game for more than a decade now. I ve cuttings from the newspaper when Nadal won his 7^th French Open title and have pinned it in my hostel room. “NADAL IN 7^TH HEAVEN”, reads the headlines of TIMES SPORTS page 14, 12^th June 2012. It was an iconic victory which confirmed the status of Rafael Nadal as the conqueror of Clay as he overtook Bjorn Borg’s record of 6 French Open titles.  

When it came to sports, I have always supported the second best, because best was always considered divine. You cannot support or follow a divinity, you can just worship him. And so as much as I loved watching Roger Federer play that majestic single handed backhand, or Sachin Tendulkar score that booming straight drive to Glenn McGrath, I some how found it hard to make them heroes. They were legends already even before I had started to watch the respective sports. So, it was in late 2003 when I started to follow cricket with passion and it was also the time when India discovered its 2^nd best batsman- Rahul Dravid, a man I have come to admire, love and follow through all these years, because he was a man, a human, a mere mortal, flawed and not divine.

It was a similar experience of watching a young, handsome, long haired guy wearing a sleeveless shirt and sending down grunting forehands against the divine Roger Federer which made me a Rafael Nadal fan.

But on Sunday as I will sit to watch Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open finals (they are playing in a grandslam final after 6 or 7 years gap!), I am not really sure who is the 2^nd best and that’s why I am at odds to select a player I have to root for. Both are coming after injuries and bad form. Both were written off by the Sanjay Manjarekars and Geoffrey Boycotts of Tennis world. But they are back, just like Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni did last week versus England when they turned the clocks back and produced a special.

When Rafael and Roger play on Sunday, I am sure they will be dishing us a special too, each moment will be savored by the tennis loving fans irrespective of whoever wins because the biggest prize will not go to the players but to the audience.

Well, can there be a bigger prize than getting ourselves 10 years younger? Science has faltered to deceive when it comes to reversing age, but sports still has that beauty and that is why we watch sports and read Ruskin Bond’s books, we become a child again; a child bubbling with enthusiasm, fervor and hope- things that can sometimes get defeated as we grow up.

Let us for once, not turn the match into Rafa vs Roger, for that would be disrespecting the legends who made our growing up days beautiful. 
Irrespective of the result, I just hope they play a long match. Because longer they play, longer I will be a child on Sunday. 

Thank You, Roger Federer!

Thank You, Rafael Nadal! 

THANK YOU, 2017!

-      Devashish Palkar

JUST ANOTHER NOBODY

"JUST ANOTHER NOBODY!"
AN OPEN LETTER TO
Respected BSF Jawan Tez Bahadur Yadav,

Good morning, sir..
I am sure you must be experiencing mixed emotions this morning. You must be wondering how a simple video appeal where you are seen highlighting the dark secrets of the Indian army, especially the poor quality of food the jawans have to endure during their duty in some of the most inhuman weather conditions.
I salute the determination with which you guys still work under such extreme conditions. But I pity your condition. I almost ridicule it. Because I am a hypocrite. I am an Indian. I am an Indian hypocrite. (That's a deadly combination. )

Today, in this 21st century while we are madly following the standards and infrastructure established in the west, one thing which we should have followed but are dearly missing is the openness to receive criticism- and I am not talking about the Kejriwalian idea of criticism where Modi is responsible for everything right from corruption to constipation! May be it is here where our flaws lie- in differentiating between a true critic and a cry baby!!

But, a critic is often misunderstood for a cry baby by men in higher authority and so you will either be expelled from the army by some men in power too blind to appreciate their flaws or you will be totally disregarded and labelled a lunatic.

We are a nation of hypocrites. We are inert. We are corrupt becaue we are vulnerable. We are vulnerable because we are corrupt.

Here is what I predict will happen to you-
1. You will get a severe bashing from your seniors.
2. You will be labelled a lunatic.
3. You will be transferred to a place where there is no internet coverage and your voice will be subdued.
4. At best there will be a 'surprise' (pre planned) inspection and the authorities will make sure that at the time of inspection everything is in place and in perfect order.
5. You will be alienated by some of your own men who wouldn't want to associate themselves because their job security matters to them and that is justified too.
6. You will be made an example of and the authorities will make sure that nobody will become another Tez Bahadur.
7. The viral video will be forgotten over the course of next few weeks or will be taken down or you will be forced to take it down citing that your video could potentially be a risk to India's security. And you will once again become just another nobody.

But to me you matter. You matter to not just India but to humanity.
Becaue you are an unreasonable man.
As George Bernard Shaw said,

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

Here's ending it with an optimism that your step will help improve things over the course of a longer run.
I know it is a very utopian wish but nothing ever moves until it is pushed. You have given it a push. You have done your bit. Be proud.

 "The world suffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of the good people."
-Napoléon Bonaparte

~Devashish Palkar,
"Just another nobody" (with some personal experience of how things work!!)
#IndianArmy