Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The price of life... wait... what?


Rohit Kumar a 3rd Year Student of IIT KGP dies due to negligent acts of doctors at the Intsitute hospital BC Roy Technology Hospital. Please follow this link to read a comprehensive article about the Sunday the 22nd of March 2009.














I ask myself at the end of all this. What was the result?

Was the cost of Rohit's life; a resignation from a post?

Was the cost of Rohit's life; an afternoon of drama and violence?

Was the cost of Rohit's life; an Open house which still ended in a smug look on the face of our honourable Dean (Student Affairs)?

Was this the cost of Rohit's Life?




I don't give any answers, not because I don't have them but perhaps because I, like the IIT system, have perhaps grown self assured and apathetic. People don't need answers, do they dear Professors? People need hearing about action not action itself. People need media not news. People need semblance not solutions. Certainly. These are not Answers.

And that is where People are wrong, have been wrong for so much time, and for a negative person like me, People will remain so. Because that's what the authorities have known forever. We never seek answers... because we are born knowing that we will not get them. We have never question authority the way we should have. We have never bothered to ask ourselves why we never expect answers and even if we do ask ourselves... we never expect an answer to our own question.

Questions?????

DO YOU THINK by giving his resignation the Director has answered our queries?
DO YOU THINK promising for the better tomorrow with better health facilities is a legitimate answer?
DO YOU THINK protesting and candle light vigils will have even affected THEM even a lil' bit?


Do you want to know why I ask this question?

This is not because I have stopped trusting this system... I stopped trusting the system when on November 25th 2007 my friend Anshu Gupta was made a victim of the same system. The system that required two hours (coincidencentally) to find a means of transportation when he collapsed in the football field of the NSS camp, the system that tried to stop me from informing his father, the system that had the same smug look that I saw some days back, the system for whom that matter is still "not a big deal".

Should we resort to violence??? Traditionally we are not violent people and I have never been a supporter of violence. But yeah If it comes to self preservation perhaps even I'd resort to violent means. Because its a matter of fact. What they fear is not the media or even public outrage. What they fear is Violence. Stand outside his residence ...he does not come out. Start to overturn his car... two statements are issued in the next 15 minutes. The sad fact here being we are reduced to animalistic approach, it's like living in the jungle. But I doubt that the thick hides of the administration may be pierced by our nonviolent pleas of help.

I can draw parallels here. Not because I want to. But because I can't help but wonder If like today had the doctors of BC Roy fled in panic the day they declared Anshu dead, perhaps Rohit would've been with us today. I can't help but feel sorry for Rohit, his parents, his friends and all of us for having to live in this beutifully and carefuly structured system that is so rotten to the core that you need two hours to find humanity here. The whole system is so corrupt that you cannot even begin to do something about it.

So much bureaucracy, SO MUCH paper shuffling, So much red tape that the price of human life.... well I said it they have a price for the human life.


Don't ask me what we can do .... we are doing what we can...... we are protesting .... we are.....

Do anything you want. You will not change the system. You cannot change the system. The system is dead. And the dead never come back. Ask that to anyone that knew Rohit Kumar.

I just want to say take care of yourself. Nobody is going to help you tomorrow, even though you may shout at the top of your voice today. Don't get sick. Stay healthy. You never know when this red tape may kill us all. You never know when we will suffocate under this burden of bureaucratic papers.Save this Link. It may help you survive.

And always.... Remember Rohit. May God bless his soul. May God protect us all. Remember the guy who had to lose his life because the administration did not think it was worth anything. Remember how cheap your life is according to the officials of our college. Remember to help anyone in distress and not delay medical attention.

Remember Rohit Kumar.

Remember Rohit Kumar.

Friday, March 20, 2009

What's in a name?

My name is Samar Rehman Patel.

...

...

...

well... that's my problem.

To be honest I LIKE my name. Its such a simple and well structured name. And with a good meaning too ( Samar means Fruit, Rehman is a name of God and Patel literally means village Leader. So basically I am the God leader of the fruity business...) also if you shorten it it becomes Sam or better yet SRP ( I hate you...) but then again my name is confusing.

Take for example the police station

Policewallah:
What's your name?
Me: Samar Rehman Patel... sir.
Policewallah: WHATTTT????
Me: Samar Rehman Patel.
Policewallah: What sort of a name is this?

basically any sane person wudve given up by this time....but this is my name so I persisted.

Me: Sir Mata-Pitaji ne yehi rakha...
Policewallah:
But yaar... ye kaisa naam hai?
Me: Sorry sir...
Policewallah: Are you Hindu or Muslim?
Me: Sir does that matter?
Policewallah: (bit aback) Yeah it does.
Me: (gives a grimace)
Policewallah:
Gujju hai?
Me: No Sir.
Policewallah: Maharashtrian ho?
Me: No Sir.... not really...
Policewallah: Kya matlab?
(then I recount into the speech that basically says that my fathers family is basically from Maharashtra and Mom's family from UP....but I am a pure 100% Bhopali)

Policewallah:
To Bhopali hai??? Madhya Pradeshi hai???
Me: (feeling a bit relieved) Yes.....
Policewallah: To aisa naam kaahe rakha????
Me: (faints)

So basically I have a confusing name....and the disturbing thing is people love to make an issue out of it. I had a guy in my 10th class Hindi board exam that asked me fifteen times whether my name was written right?

And to add insult on this injury the religious tangle added to it gives it a fine aftertaste....sort of like the suds inside an overused espresso machine.
For example my Coaching Physics teacher...

Teacher: Whats your name?
Me: blah blah blah.
Teacher: oh....(smiling).....India Pakistan border situation?
Me: (confused like hell) What sir?
Teacher: Your mom dad ran away and married... right???? ...(grinning)
Me: (fed up with life already) No Sir.
Teacher: Oh C'mon I love a good love story...tell me what happened...their parents were against this marriage right? right? right?
Me: (faints)


Latest in this line of insult coming my way was the passport office...

Official: Samar Rehman Patel......(then stares again at my passport)
Me: (raising my hand) here ...sir.
Official: Samar Rehman Patel...(still staring at my passport)
Me: (waving my hand) here sir.
Official: Samar..... Rehman .... Patel.... (still looking in amazement at my passport)
Me: (practically dancing) here sir....look at me....
Official: (finally looks up) Oh...there you are...come inside and collect your passport.
Me: (relieved) Thank you
Official: (smiling) Have you come to change your name on the passport?
Me: (revolted) NO!!!
Official: (still smiling at my name) So is there some spelling mistake?
Me: NO Sir .... I...
Official: So this is your REAL name????
Me: (faints ..yet again)

I grow tired of people clarifying my religion or my state of origin or any other thing they think validates them to ask as soon as they read my name.
Even during my OP as soon as I would say ... I am from Bhopal.... "TU GUJJU NAHIN HAI????"

no.... I am just an Indian... Isn't that enough... I even have a passport now.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Sonnet of the Winter.




And the leaves wither and die,
And lie in the frost beneath.
I wonder do every blooming; living thing ever
has an end so harsh and bleak.

Because this is a blizzard of despair,
There is a frost of sadness over everything.
And the snow mouse scurries for wisps of heat,
dry fluff, white wool and bits of string.

I wonder if life has its meaning,
over these stranded hints of strife,
When the Death comes over and mourning is over,
Will there still be a Life?