More and more people take their own lives – farmers burdened with debt, girls and guys who are not allowed to spend their lives with people they love, mother killing her kids and hanging herself, man killing his children and wife and then shooting himself, youngsters for failure in exams etc.
The fact is that we don’t bother as long as it affects our life. We consider it to be yet another “piece of news” when it happens to unknown people. But it is high time that we wake up and realize that tomorrow it could be someone important to you! According to latest statistics, every 10 minutes there is a suicide somewhere in the world and Bangalore has got the distinction of being the suicidal capital of India. In all these, the heartbreak is not only about the untimely death but also in the realization that some of the victims could very well have turned out to be strong pillars for our country in their own ways.
Religious leaders preach that suicide is a sin, government proclaim that suicidal attempts are illegal but still the society turns the other way. This is not the way to keep a check on population explosion and society should act to lessen, if not end, this scourge. My personal observation forces me to believe that in most cases, a suicide does not happen in the drive of the moment. Instead, the thought has been brewing inside the individual for a while. But we, families, friends and colleagues fail to sense the signs and help them out of it.
Change in lifestyle, mentality, culture etc have all contributed their share to the hike of suicide rates. The younger generation is brought up in such a way that they cannot face the smallest of problems or discomforts. Students committing suicide on the announcement of their results is yet another common headline these days. Is there anything like we can’t survive in this world if you are not a topper? It is not just the students to blame for these mishaps; it is also due to the society and peer pressure and the mistaken impression that everything ends if not for this. Had Sachin Tendulkar, Churchill, Einstein etc given up so easily, imagine how much we would have lost out on.
Everybody is a special creation of the almighty and each individual have their forte. The important thing is to identify your strength, follow your instinct and nurture your life. Nobody on this planet is completely happy. Everybody has problems – we have to find our way out of that maze. Be bold and find ways to overcome situations and when at times, things look impossible, learn to accept reality and still keep smiling.
If at any point you feel like ending it all, think for a minute – will our problems vanish if we take our lives away? Will our near and dear ones be able to face that harsh reality? Your friends may get accustomed to the void you create with passage of time but will your parents be able to stop shedding tears till their death?
Nothing in this world is more important than this beautiful life and we are no authority to bring things to a standstill. So let’s be there for each other and help those people who need to pull back from the verge of ending it for once and all.

Anna Hazzare’s hunger strike for a few days moved the entire country and created so many waves. The media played an active role in ensuring that it was all over and made it the only topic of discussion in the country. On the contrast, Irom Sharmila, a civil rights and political activist and poet from Manipur has been on hunger strike to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 since November 2000. Having refused food and water for over 500 weeks, she now has the tag of “the world’s longest hunger striker”.

I am sure that as a young lady of 27 she had dreams of a colorful and happy life but she left all of it and stepped into the battlefield of life with a much bigger purpose. How could our government be so oblivious and drag something of this degree for almost 11 years? It is hard and frustrating to accept that our respected leaders have not been able to do anything in this case. All the north eastern states and Jammu Kashmir crave for the abrogation of the AFSPA and is waiting hopefully to see this case reach a logical conclusion. Will they be granted the justice they deserve? Will Irom achieve success in this struggle any time soon?

Through her continued activism, Irom has achieved international attention. Millions around the globe sympathizes for her condition but our government seems to be least concerned about this human being whose life is at greater risk with each passing day. In the course of time she has won a lot of awards for her brave act and was also nominated to the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

A struggle that started with a genuine cause – “how can you take away life without giving a chance?” While that question that was asked years ago still remains unanswered, today, there is yet another campaign to save the lady who posed that question. I guess that Irom’s fast is just a routine for our leaders now. It is high time that they stop concentrating majorly on matters of personal benefit and start thinking about the country because that is why they are given their respective positions.

The iron lady of Manipur says “’I am living the struggle. I am living my protest. What more can my words give you that my life already doesn’t?”

The Christmas tree is one of the most popular and cherished Christmas customs and it is followed by all irrespective of their religious faith. Each year, 35-40 million live trees are purchased and decorated in the United States alone. But when, where and how did this custom begin? Lately I happened to read about the various stories of the origin of this tradition and here I am – sharing it with my wikitoday folks!

Firstly, where did the idea of taking a tree and putting it in front of your home come from? Evergreens have been a symbol of rebirth since ancient times. Bringing greenery into one’s home during winter symbolized life in the midst of death in many cultures. It is believed that Christians first used trees at Christmas as a symbol of rebirth.

One tale comes from Germany, in much the same way that we use and decorate it today. Martin Luther is said to have cut a fir tree from his garden one Christmas Eve and placed it in the nursery of his home for his wife and kids. He wanted to show them the beauty of the snowy, dark night of the celebration of Jesus’ birth and he decorated the little tree with lighted candles, to represent the stars. From almost that time on, there are records of Christmas trees.

Yet another beautiful story spread through Europe in the 10^th century. It is supposed to have been told by an Arabian named Georg Jacob and it became a legend. On the night that Christ was born, all the trees in all the forests (including those in frozen countries) blossomed for one night and bore fruit.

A thirteenth-century French legend tells of a gigantic tree lit with candles in the forest. Some of the candles were straight and some upside down, and at the top of the tree there was an infant with a halo around his head. The tree is believed to have represented humanity, the candles – people, good and bad, and the child was Jesus.

I am positive that there are many more interesting tales about this wonderful tradition. Whatever maybe the story behind the tree, let’s just be happy that we have it in our lives. We might not realize it, but this tree is one among those few things that bring many families together in the busy era.

So have fun decorating your Christmas tree this year and wish you all a beautiful Christmas season!

When Tamil Nadu banned Dam999, a Hollywood film depicting the dangers posed by a dam in China, it re-energized a bitter rivalry in South India over the 116-year old Mullaperiyar Dam. Though it is based on the 1975 disaster that washed away around 2.5 lakh lives from Banqiao, to a lot of people down south in India, it was more like seeing their future on screen.

People on the rim of the reservoir prefer remaining indoors. Children follow elders like their shadows even at home and find it hard to focus on any activity. The fear has snowballed into mass panic with the recent signs of ageing shown by the dam like deep cracks on its surface and soaring leakage volumes. Mild earthquakes (measuring 2.1 to 3.2 on the Richter scale) has also contributed to Kerala’s growing fear over the safety of the structure and surrounding regions.

Every single soul by now knows that if an immediate action is not taken, then we might soon witness one of the biggest disasters that the world has seen.
The collapse of this structure may in turn lead to the destruction of 15 other interconnected dams.
The studies predict that five districts of Kerala – Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuza and Ernakulam – will be wiped out.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu will go without water.

Are the above not reasons enough for our government to buckle up and get into action sooner? Do we really have enough time to wait for our Supreme Court to decide the fate of the old dam, bringing the curtain down for a 30 year long battle between two states?

Let me remind the authorities – The so many innocent residents of Kerala who are living with the fear of drowning and those in Tamil Nadu who are staring at a parched future may be no more by the time a conclusion is drawn about this issue. So drop the politics and do something to save life!

Director Milan Luthria pulls off his master stroke by choosing Vidya Balan to play the lead character, inspired by Southern siren Silk Smitha who came into the industry in 80’s when plot lines of each film resembled that of the other and a lead star, a comedy track, punch lines, songs and crassness was the essential ingredients for a film. The movie tells the story of a lady’s journey from a struggler to a star to a shadow – a fearless woman who enjoys adulation, but dies a lonely death. To have a film heroine who is unapologetic about using her sexuality to achieve means is nothing unusual but to have a heroine who does it with such relish on screen is a real victory. And Vidya Balan has done complete justice to her character. It is not just her who has a done a brilliant job. Naseeruddin Shah gives a pitch-perfect performance as Suryakant. Both have succeeded in making the roles their own, to an extend that it is impossible to envision any other artist in that place.

Luthria seems to have attained the balance between making a wholly commercial product and staying true to the story quite efficiently. Give this movie a shot to find the gutsiest and one of the most versatile actresses we have in the Indian film industry in action. It is definitely worth the ticket price.

For those who can think a little beyond the frame – The Dirty Picture in a way reminds us about being bold and unstoppable and for some maybe even provides the zeal to kick start your momentum.

Once done reading the book, I couldn’t help but wonder about the condition of our educational system. Being no stranger to hurdles like clearing the entrance exams and ensuring a seat in the recent times, I could relate to it better. I am sure that many of you will take my side if I say that today majority of the students don’t get to study what they like in spite of the wide variety of courses being offered. In fact the system has now evolved to an extent that they fail to even realize what they want. From a young age, all that they hear is, “doctor or engineer?”. Majority are left with no choice other than to take up science and give all possible entrance tests a shot. Some end up in ‘factories’ like Kota which has been well explained by the author and others in similar centers. The level of competition is to an extent that there are smaller coaching centers which will help you clear the entrance exams to the actual coaching centers and they will then prepare you for the final test.

The level of corruption in our education system has increased to a frightening level. The book tries to emphasize that this can have far reaching negative consequences on the society. The expose of the corrupt system, private engineering colleges with promising brochures but just profit making as their actual aim, bribing that begins right from the stage of buying land for the institution and goes on forever etc. It gives the book a contemporary feel and with the issue of corruption being reignited by Anna Hazare, it becomes easier to associate with.

It is definitely not easy to achieve success in an unfair society that rewards the corrupt. Do you want to give in to the system and be a part of that dishonest lot or do you want to fight it and be on the just side? The choice is ours.

Joining the club with the Leaning Tower of Pisa is the clock tower of London, better known as Big Ben after its massive bell. Yes, yet another world’s most remarkable landmarks, is gently leaning to one side. The 96-meter tower is leaning in the northwest direction at an angle of 0.26 degrees.  Experts assure that it would take thousands of years before the London landmark’s tilt matches that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But does that give us any reason to close our eyes to the reasons of such drastic developments?

In the past, cities have had spatial layouts reflecting an array of human interactions. But now we see a transformation in cities from being relatively contained, to widespread urban sprawl. Concentration of development in those centers that have strong economic backup, reserves of resources or landmarks for tourism have been to an extreme level. This has undermined the significance of distinct spaces and landmarks that originally contributed to the development of the cities.

Rapid development and planning have weakened the past and ignored the years of evolution. This along with natural factors like seasonal temperature and moisture level makes it worse. The drive for city development often ignores or undermines what is distinct about each city, including its social character, urban landscape and economic focus.

Never in the recent past has sustainable development been emphasized like it is today. Some or the other news that we come across every day presses on the need for fulfillment of human needs while causing minimal disruption to the existing scenario. Man has surged forward and progressed from cave dwellers with limited reasoning to a remarkably innovative race. But in the process it has left indelible blots on the fate of our planet.

The Victorians did not have lasers or modern surveying equipments and hence a slight error occurred then, but today we definitely have all the knowledge to keep it the way it was made and avoid even those unbelievably small movements which can have a serious aftermath.