Smoking is bliss- Say no to world no tobacco day

"kaun kehta hai,
ki cigarette sine ko jalati hai...
ye to kambakht....
sine ki aag hai jo is cigarette ko sulgati hai.."


Well, this post couldn't have come at a better time (today being the world no tobacco day). A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the "Tata cancer research hospital" and there I saw a lot of horrifying things. To be honest, a visit to a hospital always gives me an " eaky" feeling. I feel more dead than alive. I just can't stand the smell, the atmosphere and everything that goes around there. ( Wonder, how I agreed when my love took me to show her medical college!) I believe that I will suffocate to death in that environment. It makes me more sick than I really am. Lucky I have never been admitted or rather haven't allowed to be admitted. But this visit in particular was even more creepy....

I was made aware ( much to my dislike ) of the various procedure in the cancer treatment. The blood irradiation by cobalt 61, the treatment by chemotherapy, the gamma and X-ray treatment procedure, those masks and frames used to immobilise the patient etc. Those gigantic machine were truly a wonder in instrumentation engineering, but those frame appeared to have come straight out of some medieval castle dungeon. The technology was truly fascinating, and "the gyan" made me think for a moment to quit smoking. Mind you it was only for a moment. But soon the wisdom dawned on me, " of what use were of these machines ( worth crores) if there was no lung cancer patients! What will the doctors do? What about their job and what about there livelihood!!!" So the moment I was out of the premises I had my faithful cigarette to my lips!

Anyway, the point is why is the world so mad against cigarettes... Tell me, how can something happily burns itself down, just clinging to your lips taking its last breath fore your five minutes be bad???Just how could it be? Sure my right chest pains occasionally, but the pain on on the left hand side, in my heart,is unbearable!!! So should I stop loving someone? Does that make "love" bad? For those who are not satisfied here are some advantages of smoking .... and the list is not exhaustive.

• It brings revenue to the country, ( one of the highest taxes are levied on Cigarettes) so it helps in building the nation.
• It leads to male impotency so it is an effective measure of population control.
• "Smoking kills you slowly", So what? who is in hurry? . See If I start smoking at the age of 20 in all probability I will develop complications in mid 30s ...and continue living up till late 40s to 60. So In fact I have lived all my productive years of my life and have contributed to society while I can. Now living further would mean, being a burden on the already depleted natural resources, hence we are actually doing a service to mankind!
• We are saving the environment, we are making the planet green. Now just take into account the amount of oxygen that a tobacco plant produces in a lifetime and compare that with the amount of toxic waste that cigarette from the same plant produces... it is way too less, not to mention that on the death of plant the same waste would be released to the environment.
• Generally, people who smoke needs a kind of reassurance, so my beloved cigarette provides that. Hence no need to be dependent on somebody.
• It builds self- confidence, keeps your morale high.
• It helps you stretch to the extreme, So you can work nights.
• It is a great stress buster like sex, with several distinct advantage, it is always available, is cheap, and no need to stick to the same brand.
• It has its own charisma.
• Smokers, often are much better observers, this is due to the fact that they often look for some discreet corner to have a fag, trying to hide from parents, looking out for suitable makeshift ash-tray or simply looking out for no smoking signs. Hence they make alert citizen- a prevention mechanism for terrorist attack.
• It is easy to make friends once you start smoking, you are no longer a social outcast. A lot can happen over cigarette.

In short Smoking is bliss ....... "Gudang Garam International" here I come!!!

Happy International women's day!

I was flipping through "me" issue 18/Feb/07 a weekly/biweekly magazine by DNA. Suddenly, my eyes caught an article describing the plight of "Afghanistan women" during and post Taliban era on page 37. (I am mentioning the page no. as to make it clear that the article was on the right hand side page of the magazine.)

As I read through the heavily worded a article which used words like “self-immolation”, “gifts” and “rape” with reference to women and “misogynists” with “Afghanistan”.( I have yet to find out what the word means!) ,. My eyes rolled over to the left of the page…

It showed model Saberi Dasgupta, wearing a yellow coloured mini-skirt, ( if you asked me it looked as if she has wrapped a pillow towel around her) and a belt which was one- third to one fourth of the breadth of towel, oh sorry, skirt, with her bare hands covering or rather trying to cover her bare breasts. (Or was she just massaging it!). Her hair do appeared as if someone had just given her an electric shock, or may be she hadn’t seen a comb for ages or may be both. That’s how Ms. Saberi Dasgupta presents “her version of gold with stunning stone studded belt over a stretch mini skirt and a gold bare body!” Am I, being cynical? You can decide for yourself!

Then a thought came to my mind…Isn’t the position of women in India or for that matter in world quite the same? Given the chaos that is there in Afghanistan, won’t we do the same?

“No” if you say so, then, “My dear” you need to do some serious soul searching. Aren’t women are primarily considered as “Sex Object” or slaves that do our house work. And all her qualities are of secondary importance!!!

If it isn’t so, then can somebody tell me why do we accept videos of short, stout and may I add ugly man like “Adnnan Sami”going around with “sensuous women” but not there is not a single video (as far as I can remember) which depicts say “Johnny Depp” or “John Abraham” paired opposite “Guddi Maruti”, why does they always have to be cast “Kiera Knightly” and “Bipasha Basu” respectively. Why do we always hear that some hot diva tying knot to a multimillionaire who is old enough to be her father but not the opposite?

Why do we always primarily look for women who can cook, is beautiful when we go for a match? Why do we look at the guys pay check and not his receding hairline when we go for a groom? Why do even in matriarchal tribes, women are awarded (financially) to bear 12 or more children? Is women a child producing factory? Why do we still commit honour crimes? Why is it that it is always the women who is depicted as the housewife or euphemistically called home maker and man the bread owner?

Now, the point to ponder is inspire of being, a so called, modern society, the position of women has remained more or less the same over the centuries, only our hypocrisy, has grown and so the, depiction of the women ( read “inferior sex” ) has become much more subtle. The women still, and still, remains, essentially an object of “carnal desire”. Something that can be manipulated, suppressed and moulded to satisfy every whims and fantasy of the male counterpart. She is still put up to be claimed as a trophy in the male dominated chauvinistic world.

Happy International women's day! Is anyone listening?

Thinking Loud

Happy Holi !!!
But tell me , did u see the lunar eclipse yesterday, the moon became red.. at around 4:40 am. It wasn't so spectacular or something but how often do you actually see a red moon?( mind you I am not talking about full moon) It was was once in a lifetime opportunity to see it and hope you did.

Because sometime what you miss in life can never be gained again! And the hard part is we realise it much later, what we have missed or lost, and regret over it, all our life. But that's is life....
That makes it so special and that makes us individual in our own right. We know what we have lost, or didn't bother to look at it just because it was there, we took it for granted, and that was a mistake - a very big one indeed. For what is lost cannot be resurrected again, and we wish if we could just go back once in time and just get one chance to show that we really care, we really do. But. BUT but.. K Sera Sera ... that's the way it goes on....

What the heck am I blabbering isn't it ??? That too on Holi? "bhang utri nahin kya?" No but I was just wondering what if "Prahalad" had died instead of "Holika" how would "Hirankashyap" the father, would have felt and not "Hirankashyap" the king? So, far we have heard the legend as "Hirankashyap" the demon king, but i would love to hear his side of the story as "Hirankashyap, the father".
What do you say???