Titanic

Hehehe...Found the link stupid? Who cares! Someone rightly said "It doesn't take too much to tickle my rib!

Book Iam currently Reading:The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen
Music Iam currently playing on my comp: Yesterday - Beatles.Lovely song, gloomy lyrics though.

Forced to CHICKEN out

Another dismal, spine-chilling story on the front-page to jolt me out of my reverie in a sleepy morning class. I stared in horror at what I read. The article ruthlessly screamed out: Chief secretary R M Premkumar ordered eight lakh chickens within the taluka to be slaughtered in the next 48 hours! The article goes on to lament the fact bird flu has hit Maharashtra, which is what's making our dear Mr.Premkumar a.k.a self-proclaimed Yamadev revel in a dance of death by ordering the mass slaughter that he has. At the risk of diluting the seriousness of the issue, I must say: On a lighter note, it's weird how the govt officials made a funny fool of themselves. Just as Mr.Premkumar ordered that 2 lakh chickens should be slaughtered to combat the disease, State health secretary Dr Vijay Satbir Singh said the district administration had been instructed to close all slaughter houses in Nawapur and the surrounding areas to combat the disease! :) It happens only in India!

Well,well,well, let us dig in a lil more into the chicken-y facts.Bird flu is, no doubt a deadly viral epidemic caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus.As reported here, these influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Let us see what warrants a mass-slaughter.It is true that, of the few avian influenza viruses that have crossed the species barrier to infect humans, H5N1 has caused the largest number of detected cases of severe disease and death in humans. It is also true that, in the current outbreaks in Asia and Europe, more than half of those infected with the virus have died. In fact, if H5N1 virus were to gain the capacity to spread easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) could begin. Accepted.HOWEVER, I now wish to draw a close parallel, replacing poultry with humans. The HIV virus that causes the incurable AIDS disease spreads only through infected-blood tranfusion and/or sexual contact. Bird flu spreads to humans only through close contact with infected animals and/or surfaces contaminated by their saliva/faeces. AIDS too, if left unchecked, could become a pandemic. Both these diseases are fatal. Both are currently incurable. AIDS has constantly been claiming thousands of lives, while this particular outbreak of bird flu has claimed ONE life so far. What then, justifies the meting out of mass-slaughter to as many as 2 lakh chickens, most of which might not even be infected yet? Why don't we slaughter AIDS_affected humans as well? Aren't they equally dangerous? What right do we, who weren't responsible for the creation of life, have, to take away lives? What was done to plague victims/smallpox victims when there were no vaccines for these diseases? Weren't they all just quarantined and kept at a safe distance to prevent the burgeoning of the epidemic into a pandemic? Why then, can't these chicken be quarantined too, if they are found to be affected?

There's so much hue and cry about euthanasia. Even when people want to die, we force them to hang on for dear life; even when chickens want to hang on for dear life, we force them to chicken out of life! Strange indeed are the murky ways of our perky world.

Chat of the day

A jobless evening had begun to make me don a cynical garb and believe that the earth had indeed grown depleted of "men of substance" and was getting rapidly populated instead with superficial, materialistic, boring guys devoid of sticking to strong values. Just as my friends n I got together in a female-chauvinistic mood for a cup of late-night Maggi and groaned and moaned about how remaining a spinster for life was any day a better deal given the scandalizing quality of the members of the other species that we knew, I happened to talk to someone from this aparently-abhorable species n he served me some chicken soup for the soul.Long time since I had some, n I must say, yummmm it was delicious!

He (4:07:34 AM): so listen
Me (4:07:37 AM): sure
He (4:08:07 AM): My source of inspiration for what I am, what I believe and what my values are, has been my father
Me (4:08:21 AM): hmmm
He (4:08:31 AM): Who is no more but lives in the ideals I live by
He (4:09:10 AM): He used to quote a few things when i was young
Me (4:09:18 AM): oops sorry...quotes like?
He (4:09:28 AM): And I began to appreciate what he said better as I grew up
He (4:09:46 AM): One of his favorite authors was Bertrand Russell
Me (4:09:52 AM): okay
He (4:10:52 AM): So quoting my father quoting Bertrand Russell,," The four vital characteristics of a man are vitality, courage, sensitiveness and last but not the least intelligence"
He (4:10:58 AM): in that order
He (4:11:09 AM): Let me explain
Me (4:11:13 AM): hmmmm
He (4:11:20 AM): Vitality is all about
He (4:11:43 AM): the zeal to live....no matter what age, what situation, what background
Me (4:12:22 AM): hmmm
He (4:12:52 AM): vitality is when, there is a baby trying to reach the moon...it is there is a 90 year old grandmom who hugs her grandchildren with all tender and affection
He (4:13:09 AM): The moment you lose vitality, you are better dead than living
He (4:13:20 AM): next is courage
He (4:13:26 AM): This is not bravado
He (4:13:38 AM): but the courage to face truth
He (4:13:44 AM): courage to speak truth
He (4:13:55 AM): courage to live by your convictions
Me (4:13:56 AM): hmmmm
He (4:14:03 AM): courage to say sorry
Me (4:14:06 AM): trust me, not many men can say sorry even if they feel they’re wrong. Ego does reign supreme among members of your species!
He (4:14:16 AM): courage to be humble
He (4:14:41 AM): the real courage that ultimately matters
He (4:14:49 AM): Third thing is sensitiveness
Me (4:14:51 AM): Oh man! These r some of the best words that've hit me in a long time. Im saving this conversation as a big time treasure
He (4:15:04 AM): Man is a social animal
He (4:15:15 AM): He lives in a society, in a family...he is not an island
He (4:15:44 AM): Being sensitive to each other is key to leading a good life
He (4:16:48 AM): Last but not the least, it is intelligence that marks humans as distinct for what they are
He (4:17:05 AM): true
He (4:17:55 AM): And I dont know why but this quote has stuck as the basis of what I am and what I think
Me (4:18:04 AM): good that it has! it has made such a fine gentleman out of you ...
He (4:18:18 AM): And hence if I may say...they are by default my parameters of defining "goodness"

At the end of it all, 2 visitors tried knocking on my door again:
(1) Cynicism ---- !?!Who?When?What?Where? Get out before I shut the door on your face.
(2)"No good men around" ---- Shut up! There definitely ARE delicious strawberries hidden in the heap of rotten tomatoes.Take the trouble to spot the tiny n obscure but truly yummy ones!

Javed Akhtar beware!

Sunehri yaadon ki galiyon mein
aaj phir se tehelke aaye,
jisko dekhkar yeh dil dhadaktha tha
aaj us dhadkan se milke aaye.

un khuli zulfon mein khelti hui hawaaiyen
hamaare chehre ko savarthi gayee,
pyaar se pehli mulaqaat thi woh
jab hum aapki aankhon mein kaidh ho gaye

Un aankhon ki wohi sharaarat
Is dil mein aaj bhi lehren jagaa rahi hain
Saal guzar gaye, hum badal gaye
Aapki adaa aur meri aashiqui waisi hi reh gayee

Roke na ruke yeh kadam
Aapki taraf chal pade,
Saalon guzar gaye aapko dekhe hue
Ishq ki galiyon mein aaj dobaara mitne chalen

Aapki aur bhadthe hue har kadam pe
Woh saare haseen pal jhalakne lage
Jab hum dil ki baat sunaane aate the
aur aapki baaton mein, sab bhool jaate the

sau baar mile, hazaaron baatein ki
par dil mein jo baat thi, woh izhaar kar na sake
apni is dastaan ki kitaab tho likh di
par kai panne, dil mein hi chupaa liye

un panno ko kholne ka aaj mauka tha
phir bhi hum khamosh rahe
chup chupke pyar karne ka mazaa hi kuch aur hain
shaayad hum is maze mein hi mit jaayenge


Sunehri yaadon ki galiyon mein
aaj phir se tehelke aaye

Ah!Anand Bakshi must've turned in his grave ... No no!I don't claim credit for what you just read.It isn't mine.This beautiful piece was written n sent on Valentine's day by one of my friends - Raghu, who's a very talented poet.He's sure to give the likes of Javed Akhtar a run for their money very soon.Go Raghu, go.You rock!

Quote for the day: Every man's memory is his private literature. ~Aldous Huxley
Book Iam currently reading: The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach