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Articles

R K Pachauri: Carrying 6 billion hopes: Dr. RK Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is leading the international campaign against Climate Change for his services to the environment he has recently been awa......read more
India's Climate Change crusader: Mr. Jairam Ramesh: India is a fast developing nation but this development comes at a price, the environment. Our interview with him made us aware that Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and F......read more
He does not deserve the nobel: I have developed the art of using money in creative ways to a point where it has become scientific. The deeply unfortunate occupational hazard that accompanies this rather fulfilling pastime is that m......read more
US & Co: I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and......read more
Jaswant Singh on people, politics and partition: One of India's longest serving politicians, Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Jinnah and India's partition sparked both criticism and praise from people across India and Pakistan. His bold decisio......read more
Statue-tory warning: Your narcissism is injurious to national health: At a time when Maharashtra's notorious Vidarbha region witnesses one farmer suicide every 8 hours, when the entire state is frequented by power cuts as a result of the rains playing truant and the sta......read more
Try: I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I c......read more
Theplas in Thailand & pickles in Paris: Say hello to the Indian tourist: The Indian tourist seems to have earned himself a global reputation. He may don many avatars, but the stereotype he has earned for himself remains like an unsightly splotch on Indians' reputation aboa......read more
Red tapism in India: "The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. ......read more
Naxalites - a burning problem: The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. ......read more
Unity in diversity?: With hundreds of different ethnicities, myriad religions, thousands of languages, and an infinite set of values, (some of which are diametrically opposite) India could easily be considered the most di......read more
Every One: India is a country that is progressing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It has proved itself to be a country to watch out for. Its economy is booming, and its people are continuing to prove their abilit......read more
The Indian Judiciary: Does the pillar of strength need to be strengthened?: Do judges in India need to be policed and to what extent? There has recently been focus on the Indian judiciary system. The question has arisen on whether Indian judges need to be policed. The Union C......read more
Defence, Development & the Indian Economy: India today occupies a unique position on the world stage. We are perhaps the only country trying to juggle a rapidly advancing economy, an extraordinary array of infrastructural develoments, an inher......read more
26/11: A year on, an overview of the city of Mumbai yields a result no different then what one would have expected. The city continues to be a bustling, shining beacon of India's ascent to global success, w......read more
Wake up and smell the carbon: Few years ago, there was only one problem the world had to deal with - the nuclear bomb. Today's youth are growing up in the shadows of three bombs any of which can go off any moment, leading to a rad......read more
Apocalypse - impossible? Think again!: 2050, India-a young boy stares at the barren landscape of his hometown, where rising tempartures and water scarcity have made living life a burden. The ganga river has dried up, the once snow capped p......read more
Congress ka 'raj' Thackeray: For anyone who doubts that politics is a dirty game, the recent Maharashtra State Assembly polls was an eye-opener. With cousins standing against each other in a family feud of epic proportions and th......read more
Change after 26/11: On 26^th November, 2008 a catastrophe stuck the city of Mumbai. While the elite class of South Mumbai was dining at 5 star hotels, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Trident, and the commuters were......read more
The future of Mumbai: Milind Deora's victory for the second term in a row has silenced all his critics. In a candid discussion, Mr. Deora spoke to us about the Maharashtra elections, the MNS, chqanges since 26/11 and of hi......read more
VOTE INDIA: Over the last few weeks, the nation has been keenly observing the movements of a new found political scion, Varun Gandhi of the BJP. Gandhi's radical views, to say the least, have "shocked" some and "......read more
26/11: Are we so naive that we cannot see that some of the problems are from within our country? We don't see the greater good but act in our own selfish and devious ways......read more
Arun Jaitley-a candid discussion: An interview with the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Arun Jaitley gave us an insight into the mind of strategic planner and mast head of this election's opposition party. After years o......read more
The Criminalisation of Indian Politics: India boasts of being the largest democracy in the world; with an estimated 671 million eligible to vote for the 15th General elections to be held in April - May 2009. However, over the last 61 years ......read more
Democracy: As we are made to see it: What do you think about putting 1.147 billion puzzle pieces together? Indian democracy is just that. It is not as simple and sinless as a puzzle, but putting 1.147 billion thoughts together, fixing th......read more
Goolam Vahanvati - the youth's role in India's future: Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, one of the best lawyers in India, tells us we as the youth need to look beyond corruption, he tells us to a look at the larger picture. He says, "You must believe that this is a ......read more
Indian National Congress: The way forward?: We citizens of India are not in the mood to listen to comments like "Bade bade sheharo mein chotte chotte cheese hote rehte hain". The youth want to see some degree of accountability in the entire pol......read more
Jyotiraditya Scindia-India's tomorrow: We arrived at 27 Safdarjung Road, home to one of the most promising and visionary leaders in this country. Part of the Congress youth brigade Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, having studied at Harvard and St......read more
Omar Abdullah - our hope for change: Mr. Omar Abdullah one of the few leaders in this country who commands respect and does not demand respect, speaks to us about his vision for India. He is one of the most protected men in India with si......read more
PAKISTAN: at the brink of destruction?: Two twins, India and Pakistan separated at birth due to numerous complications, travelled through a long journey since partition. This difficult path took off in August 1947, when, after having surviv......read more
Third Front - an illusion?: We the youth of India desire change and to some the Third front is the only option to provide this change, which makes the Third Front seem as a serious contender. On the other side of the spectrum mo......read more

Article of the month

Try

I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I change the world? Probably not.
Do I want to? Nope.
Text: Ayushi Amin

Why should I? Why should I be concerned about what is happening in the world? It�s not like I live in Iraq! Besides, I barely have time to keep up with the new season of Greys Anatomy then to start reading the Times of India. Believe me - its way more interesting watching soaps then reading only for the 100th time that hundreds of women and children died in yet another attempt of the Taliban to rid this world of humans.

I�m tired of reading about Qasabs trial and how it keeps going on and on and on. First he wants his own lawyer, then he wants to plead guilty, and now he�s lost faith (oh he�s lost faith!) in the Indian judicial system and wants to be taken to the International Court of Justice. It�s hard enough with applications around the corner that I should be burdened with the thought of the hundreds of children that don�t even have a primary school education.

I have tried for 17 years to be the person my parents have tried to teach me to be.

�Be honest beta. Honesty always works. God will punish you if you lie�

I was 5 years old when I lied and told my mother that I hadn�t already had a helping of cake because I wanted more. She believed me like any mother would and indulged in my calorie craving. But at night I could only hear God whispering to me-� you lied! You lied!� �Mamma I�m sorry I lied, I only wanted more cake�, I sobbed to her the next morning. �Don�t worry beta, you won�t do it again will you? Otherwise...?� �It�ll hurt in my tummy mamma. Is that where god is?� She smothered a smile and went on to try and explain to me the concept of a conscience. Something I often forget I possess.

12 years later it doesn�t hurt my stomach to tell a lie. I can tell half truths without even flinching. I can tell you this without being ashamed or embarrassed because I know you do it too.

We all tell our teachers that our books are lost and that they lost the assignment we never gave in. We do it to avoid that remark or God forbid a suspension. The system doesn�t allow for mistakes. It doesn�t understand that I really couldn�t finish that assignment because I was genuinely unwell.

So to save our honour, we lie. Ironic isn�t it? Last month, eight children in my class were absent. I had to give a test because somebody else feigned sickness. So who is to believe me when I say I am sick?

�Be the bigger person Ayushi. Don�t be so petty. Will you be any lesser for giving it up?� my father reprimands as I fought with my brother over some trivial thing, age 8.

Being the bigger person isn�t as easy as giving that toy to my brother. It�s about giving up something much bigger today. It�s not about giving up. It�s about giving in. Giving in to the system - Feeding the corrupt. But then again why shouldn�t I? What will I get out of being moral. Do my school teachers see that I was honest enough not to bribe a cop or not to break a signal and that�s why I reached school late? No. They hear these excuses all the time and hence, I suffer with another minus mark! Thus, we give in to the system.

�Ayushi don�t you ever break the law. Breaking the law makes you a criminal.� Age 10.

I am only 17 and I can tell you that I have broken the law more than once already. Do we know the law? Yes. Do we still break it? Yes. Do we pay our time? No. Why should I? Somebody else�s father is always there to bail them out. Why shouldn�t mine? We pride ourselves in winding around the system. Pride ourselves on outsmarting the system. But hey It got me out of trouble right? I still have my untainted record, (never mind that I bought it on blood money) and really that�s all that matters to me.

�Patience, Ayushi is a virtue. And so is peace. So don�t fight unnecessarily, it doesn�t help anyone.� Age 12.

There�s no patience when we push against one another in a line, clamouring to get a movie ticket. There�s no peace in abusing left, right and centre when things don�t go our way. There�s no peace in yelling at my juniors when they don�t get something right. There�s no peace in fighting with my parents when all they want is the best for me. There�s no other way left though so hell with peace, I still got my way.

�Always help people Ayushi. The hand that gives is far greater than the hand that takes. Remember that.� Age 15

The other day while waiting for a taxi, I saw a lady struggling with her bags. I walked over and helped her pick up her stuff. The next thing I know somebody else takes my taxi. What did I get out of helping that lady? I still got late to school and the whole rigmarole started again.

Today it doesn�t help to help because helping means letting someone else get ahead of you. It means not telling your own friends which universities you are applying to in the fear that they may apply there too. Help means sacrificing yourself. And I�m not sure anyone�s ready to do that.

Age 17. Selfish, manipulative, greedy, liar, conniving with a lifetime ahead of me, waiting to live life on my own terms. But wait, isn�t that exactly what I�ve grown up doing?

Listen to me, see what I have become. The only voice I hear today is my own complaining about something or the other. The voice that tells me the right thing to do has long being suppressed by the society I live in.

I live in a world where optimism is a hope in hell and pessimism is the trend.

Bombay will never change, India will never grow, the Taliban will never rest, and Obama will never save the world.

Life isn�t fair, it isn�t a bed of roses. So why should �I� try. Why is it up to me to be the change. Why should I take the responsibility that nobody else is willing to take. Why should I even try?

It wasn�t fair on Mandela to fight for his race. It wasn�t fair on Mother Teresa to save the poor. It isn�t fair that Obama is criticized for his efforts to correct a decade of errors.

It isn�t fair. But they try. They tried.

You try anyway. You try in the hope that tomorrow will be better.

You try in the hope that tomorrow your child will feel good in being honest. You try in the hope that one day your child will take pride in saying no to a bribe. You try in the hope that someone else will be better.

And really that�s all that�s there to it.