Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Sticky Floor... Glass Celing
Sure. The times, they are a-changing. Women are coming to the fore-front. They are surging ahead, taking their rightful places in the corporate world. But alas, that top position still remains a Utopia for many a woman. The glass still ain't weak enough to break through. Ever wondered why, 95-97% of senior managers, the world over are males? Thats due to the Glass ceiling, my friends. The 'Glass Ceiling’ is a barrier to prevent women rising to the highest positions in an organization as a result of informal exclusionary practices.These practices include sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and pregnancy discrimination.
While a lot of male readers would be squirming in their seats reading this, but its a glaring fact we simply choose to turn our back on.
Explanations for the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomena derive from the stereotype of womeninto traditional roles. Many men still carry the attitude despite living inthis modern day and age that women are not capable of higher managerial roles and thattheir place rightfully belongs at home along with the house-hold chores. There is also the point that many corporate firms think twice before employing women for the top position, in terms of their level of commitment, for it is inevitable that every woman will want to have a child at some point in their life. However maternity leave is viewed upon as an expense in terms of money and the valuable time that iswasted in order to fill the vacant position.
The organisational structure is another barrier that women have to contend with forit is evident that most firms are male dominated and huddle together when itcomesto after work social activities, thus leaving the woman to feel as an outcast.
Despite 30 years of professional expertise, equal to their male copunterparts, ladies still don't make it to the top positions. While there may be some women higher up in management it can be argued that these are just ‘token’ positions so that the corporate management cannot be accused of discrimination. Those few who are successful in making it are then dealt the blow of being paid substantially less then their male counterparts. This as a result shows just how wide spread theundervaluing of women’s work really is.
On the risk of sounding ultra-feminist, Women are warriors. They bleed. They cut. But they never ever cry out. And when they do. Its too little. Too late.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sail across the troubled waters.
You conquered it all
You vanquished it all.
Go yonder the black clouds,
and look unto thee.
The light that shines in you.
The light that leads you.
Whispers softly to the winds,
Growing softer and softer,
Calmer and calmer,
stronger and stronger,
The storms within have been rested.
Tears a many have been invested,
Now the raft beckons thee.
For it has a shining light
Look yonder and you'll see
The future is much bright.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
pichla janam
In a Past Life... |
Where You Lived: Ukraine. How You Died: Killed in Battle. |
I have a theory... I feel we all are about as happy as we let ourselves to be. And in relationships, this holds a lotta water. Ok, since you are pulling those confused faces at this logic, let me enlighten ye... Hold on... who knows, this might win the nobel prize or something....
The secret to a very happy relationship is... ta-da-da...(*drumroll*)... BEING YOURSELF!!!!! YIPPPEEE!!!! There. I made my point. er... ahem... Not exactly earth-quaking, eye-popping, heart-clutching revelation. But a revelation, none the less amigo.
Here goes. We should completely let go of our inhibitions while in a solid relationship. And that holds for any kind of them under the sun. Be it with your parents. Be it with your sibling. Be it with your boyfriend or spouse... Its the hang-ups that hold us back. And eventually, we spend the entire time thinking about how to impress the other person, rather than just act upon our gut feelings. You see, that other person probably knows you better than well.... you. And he/ she doesn't give a rat's ass if you are not wearing that in color of the season, he/ she doesn't care whether you..heck... let out that tiny fart. No need to go red. Just go Talking. Communication people. That's the most important key and i guess we have forgotten the combination on that lock. We keep ourselves cooped up.
Gosh! After coming to the fag end of this piece, I suddenly very agony-auntish or one of those "loove gurus" on the FM channels!!!! hehehehe
But guess, we can all do with a little love. Eh?
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Dialogue
Presenting words of wisdom by none other than Mithun Chokroborty himself.....
" Bheegi hui cigarette kabhi jal nahi sakti.....
aur yeh tay hai ki teri maut ki taarikh tal nahi sakti "
"Apuun ka naam hai HEERA,
Apuun ne sab ko Cheera..." (wah wah.....)
shetty: "kaun hai be tu?"
Mithun da says-
"Mai hoon tum jaise logon se nafarat karne wala,
Garibon ke liye jyoti, Gundon ke liye jwala
tuze banake maut ka Ek niwala,
tere sine mein gaad dunga mai maut ka bhala.
Mila doonga yamraj se tere ko salaaaa." (who thought poor Shetty would have to listen to beautifOOL poetry before *sniff* he got the life punched outta him??)
" kyunki ab mein Indrajeet nahi......chandaal hoon
tum chaho toh mera program note karlo
...tum sab meri diary mein mar chuke ho!
mein chahoo toh tum sabko abhi mar sakta hoon
magar abhi maarne se tumhe maarne ka credit meri bullet ko mil jayega!!!! "
( kya logic hain!!!!!!!! !,superb! )
" Main hoon Do Numbri, ek se jyaada, teen se kam
Dikhne mein bevda, bhaagne mein ghoda, aur maarne mein hathoda .... " (
amazing )
" Jitani tumane saanse li hongi, usase jyaada maine lashein girayi hai
(aaaaaiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ???????)
Mantriji:- "Ye kanch bullretproof hai.
tum mujhe chu bhi nahi sakte"
Mithun Da:-"Ye kanch bulletproof hai magar patthhar proof nahi"
AND HE BREAKS IT BY THROWING STONES ON THE GLASS. (BONK!!!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
And the best one…………….
Mithun da gets a bullet on his leg, Looks at the villain scornfully, calmly stands up and says-
"DUSHMANO KI LAASHON PAR BHANGRA KARNE WALA KABHI LANGDA NAHIN HO SAKTA"
" Koi Shaq..??"
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Confession
So I naturally have become really serious. I don’t smile. Which I’m hating by the way. This is a very new feeling for me. Not feeling good. Generally, I give Teletubbies a run for their money because of my chirpiness. I’m an irritant at home, because of my slapstick jokes. But that was yesterday. Today, I don’t feel good. Season change, did someone say? No, that’s not it. Let’s just say, I have done some Very Bad Stuff, which I’m feeling Very Bad about.
I broke a friend’s heart. I wasn’t their when she needed me. I was too busy making my future. I left her in the dark, with nothing to support on. I am a monster. There. I said it. I have been a very bad friend. Which I was not. A bad friend, that is. I really don’t know how to re-do (re-vamp? Re-furbish? Re-create?) the trust I’ve lost with my friend.
For a long time, I was thinking. Oh well. To bullocks with it. Why do I care? Yeah, one college mate lost. No biggie. But you know… that small voice inside your head? Behind your ear? Crawling up your veins? That little fella constantly kicked me in the shins, pulling me down to planet earth, and pulling my ears close to its mouth and telling me I M WRONG.
So here I am. Making a confession. I want my friend back. I want everything back to normal. I want sunshine. I want silly smiles on my face again. I want free from guilt.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Since the dawn of time, man has chosen to be curious, to seek ahead, seek beyond, of what’s right in front of him, his home, state, country and planet. Visionaries of the past like Arthur C. Clark, Jules Verne and our very own Tagore had all but jotted down the route map to space and back.
The first realization of this dream was on July 20th, 1969 when a certain Mr. Armstrong laid his foot on the moon and set the mega-event in motion. But we have come a long way from 1969! Now, who wouldn’t want to go into space without having to become an American astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, or a Chinese taikonaut? We owe our thanks to Mr. Dennis Tito who actually curved fiction into fact. On April 28th 2001, the American businessman and NASA engineer booked the first flight ticket to space. An 8-day “vacation trip”. 5 minutes of weightlessness and back to planet-sweet-planet. Guess, how much his space ticket cost him? USD 20 million (Rs. 80 lakh, roughly)…. Phew!
Thank God, its 2008!!! Because a lot has happened over the last 6-7 years. Now there are a number of cost-effective ways under development to safely transport people to and from the space for just a fraction of what Mr. Tito shelled. Just last month, in California, British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and American aircraft designer Burt Rutan slid open two corrugated steel doors to reveal the two new gleaming aircrafts under the Virgin Galactic umbrella. The audience in the standing-room only crowd let out audible gasps. Christened “white-knight II” and “space-ship II” will work in tandem as a sub-orbital launch system. In just a few years, these ships will be ferrying passengers like you and I through the veil of space. And just so you know, 200 people have already lapped up the $ 200,000 ticket, and more are booking ‘em even as I write this.
That having been said, this type of mega-event does not merely sustain on hear-say alone. Admittedly, a little bit of science is also involved! A massive amount of Kinetic energy is required to push up the space shuttle, which means great expenses and no small degree of risk. And since, I am on the topic of risks, there is the huge-risk of colliding with space debris or getting calculations errors. I tell you, not something to play with folks.
But then again, the future is not a black-hole. Branson-Rutan team and a whole lot of smart guys are working on safety rates 100 times safer than government space flights.Floating in space. Weightlessness. 0-gravity. That’s’ the stuff sci-fi is made of. Not anymore! That’s another factor to consider. Although the notion is extremely exhilarating, but only people with strong hearts and physically fit will be able to board this space odyssey. Since, prolonged stay in zero gravity may cause health hazards namely space sickness, nausea, head-ache, and deterioration in skeletal structure. Yikes!!
Also, this might have crossed the your mind, including yours truly. Er… the cost of the ticket to space. Need I repeat? $ 200,000. a slight pinch in the pocket, don’t you think? However, let’s not be disheartened ladies and gentlemen! Let me point out. Just as once upon a time, our daily house-hold appliances like refrigerators, televisions and even cars, were a distant eutopia for the average family, but now only 20 years on, they are literally planted in everybody’s homes. Likewise, lets say, 20 years from now, space tourism would be an average holiday package.
Industry is clearly the buzzword for Branson. This will surely unlock a whole wall of private sector money. Just as, mobile hones and internet technologies, have reached the common man out of military origins, so will space flights reach us, hopefully in a very short time!
Anyhow, the way we are exploiting our home planet’s resources and the on-going reality of global warming and climate change, it will rather be sooner than later, we will have to ssek a fresh, un-exploited new world to inhabit. Imagine, the limitless amount of raw materials, we can tap.
In the long run, life on earth as we know it will be an ever increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear holocaust, or a genetically engineered virus and other dangers. So, earthians, lets open our minds, and start imagining. Lets open our eyes, and see beyond this sky. Somewhere, out there, might be our future home!