Puppy On The Road

In present times, just about everyone seems to be very busy. Everyone is rushing to reach somewhere (although few people are actually punctual). No one has the time to stop for anything. But then, there are exceptions. Today morning while on the way to my office, I was touched by the gesture of a private bus driver.

As I was passing by Mumbai University, I heard this bus screech suddenly on the other side of the road. It was a pleasant surprise, as I saw a tiny, very tiny puppy (could fit into one hand) near the front tyre of the bus. The driver had stopped just in time. The cleaner got down from the bus and put away the puppy to its safety.

Few people actually take the pains to do such things. If we all can start doing such things everyday, the world would be a much better place.

“Tum Zameen walo par rahem karo, Aasmaanwaala tum par rahem karega.” (Have mercy on those who inhabit the earth, and the Almighty will have mercy on you.)

Khan Sahab Is No More!

Khan Uncle is no more! I feel that the best way to give you a glimpse of the wonderful personality of this man would be to quote his own words. Immediately after his engagement with Shama aunty, her brother came up to Khan Uncle and said “Khan Sahab, meri behen Shola hai shola!” Not to be outdone, maintaining his composure, Khan Uncle wittingly replied “Koi baat nahi! Tumhari behen shola hai to mein baraf ki laadi hoo… usey pighla doonga.” This probably exemplifies the personality of this humor-loving and witty personality.

Khan Uncle passed away last month (I’ve been wanting to put up this post since long!) after a prolonged illness. But even in death, he showed his true character. After he suffered 2/3 continuous heart attacks, the doctor said that he would survive a maximum of 24 hours. Well, he struggled for a full three weeks before his end finally came!

Who Khan Uncle is and how was he related to me is a long story. In short, he was a family friend and had worked in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)—the same company in which my father worked. At IOC, he worked from one table and one office for 25 long years! Reason: Every time he was due for promotion or transfer, his superiors insisted that his salary be increased and he be retained in the same office. The result was that after his retirement, the department itself was closed (amalgamated with another department)!

Every person right from his colleagues to the peon approached him with their problems. Why even peons approached him for help them with the admissions of their children. He would readily grab a pen and write a letter to the principal of the school as if he/she was his childhood friend. The interesting thing is that such ideas did work a considerable number of times. So, for every problem, Khan Uncle had one solution: Ok, get my pad, Ha, so what is the name of that person…. Ok… Dear…. Remember we had met at the park last month?

Hearing the news of his death, my brother remarked “Now, Shama aunty will find it very hard and lonely to carry on with life. Khan Uncle had very good Akhlaakh (loosely translated, mannerisms).”

Truly, nowadays, very few people have the kind of akhlaakh he had. He’ll always be an inspiration for me. It’s a pity that there are very very few people with good akhlaakh around now.

M J Akbar Shunted Out Unceremoniously!

One of the few reasons for one to read "The Asian Age" was the fact that M J Akbar was its Editor-in-Chief. M J Akbar is one of the few genuine columnists who travel considerably and have many contacts around the world. His weekly column "Byline" is one good reason, or in my case -- probably, the only reason -- to read the Asian Age.

During our college years, we've always had this debate about freedom of speech and whether the media was free. I've always maintained that freedom of speech is nothing more than a fallacy. Huge media conglomerates all over the world decide what goes out as news to the public. A careful consideration of all news items in most news carriers -- be it websites or newspapers -- reveals that virtually every article has some commercial interest behind it.

In this age of advertorials, good columnists are a rare breed. Its a pity that someone of the caliber of M J Akbar, whose columns are appreciated even by his one time mentor Prof. P K Ravindranath, had to be shunted out so unceremoniously. It shows that finally... it all boils down to the economy... who cares if it translates into sheer prostitution of journalism!

The rumour doing the rounds is that it was his byline "Double Play" that cost him his job. The smart guys in the Congress probably realized that the theory of E=MC2 proposed by M J Akbar in his byline might cost them dearly in the forthcoming elections. On one hand, this shows the power of true journalism, and on the other hand, it also proves the fact that the "powers that be" do have the final word.

To sum up my feelings I'd like to quote M J Akbar verbatim. On his blog, he says "For reasons that need not detain us, I must say farewell. I was under the impression that I might have been able to do so with more grace. But judging from this morning edition of our paper, it seems I might have overstayed my welcome… We may not have been the biggest, but we held our head high because there was one nonnegotiable asset in our family: we could not be bought. We were independent. We were free. We held our head high. Never let your head stoop, not as long as you are a journalist."

He is one of the few people who are keeping the spirit of journalism alive! Hats off!