Predators v/s Aliens

(Photography - Vimal Tandan)

Their hunt is always on.
Little ones fall prey, day by day, to these heinous predators living in the very midst of us.

Every day when I pick up the newspaper to read, my heart goes out to those victims afflicted by such grave pain, which for me is just unimaginable. Every time I keep wondering, if it hurts me so much, how much more will he be hurt who created them. The creator of us all… the creator of these innocent little angels.

But among us, there are a few who aren’t just aware of these predators, but who live a life rescuing the innocent from falling prey to them. One person I respect and look up to is this Indian brave heart, living her life with a purpose.

Sunitha Krishnan – A rock solid woman of today. She has rescued over 3200 girls from Indian brothels, and is supporting them through her organization ‘Prajwala’. This one woman army needs a lot of encouragement, because she truly is touching many lives every day.

On November 6, 2009, the audience at TED India was completely drenched with emotions, as she shared the heart-breaking lives of 3 children - Pranitha, Shaaheen and Anjali.

(What I have written below is as mentioned by Dr. Krishnan)…

Pranitha’s mother was an HIV Infected Prostitute, who when was too ill to work any more, sold her 4 year old little girl to a broker, pushing her into prostitution. Little Pranitha, was raped repeatedly by dozens of men day after day before she was rescued.

The second toddler, Shaheen, was so brutally sexually assaulted after being trafficked that her intestines burst through her abdomen, and had to be surgically re-inserted into her body. She was found in this state on a railway track.

Little Anjali was the daughter of a drunkard father, who sold her for pornography.

Even as I type out these painful incidents in the lives of little children…I am just not able to imagine how someone could do something so evil and heinous, to those who had not even begun living. How does the mind even plan out something so devilish? We all are living in the Predator’s Zone. Where the outrage of anger is so intense, that the mind forgets to connect with the heart. Just leaves no place for emotions.

I look at Pranitha, Shaaheen and Anjali as ALIENS. Aliens because... they seem to me as innocence trapped in a world of filth and rage. Aliens because, they were alienated from the truth of what REAL LIFE is. Aliens because, they were alienated from happiness, family, brotherhood. They were alienated from LOVE. They were just not meant to be here. About the ones who have afflicted this degree of pain on them, I just have to keep reminding myself. “It is his to avenge.” And he will do it at the right time.

Today’s post is dedicated to Dr. Sunitha Krishnan. This is what she has to say about her life…
”I have this deep-rooted belief that my life is a providence by itself, and God has brought me in this world to do what I'm doing, and God will allow me to stay in this world so long as he believes that my mission is not done, and therefore I do believe that the day God believes that my work is done, I'll be killed or I'll die naturally, or whichever way that is possible.” http://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia.html

Our National Anthem - An Inside view

Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, Jaya He

Bharata Bhagya Vidhata

Punjab Sindhu Gujarata Maratha

Dravida Utkala Banga

Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga

Uchchhala Jaladhi Taranga

Tava Subha Name Jage

Tava Subha Ashisa Mage

Gahe Tava Jaya Gatha.

Jana Gana Mangala Dayaka, Jaya He

Bharata Bhagya Vidhata,

Jaya He, Jaya He, Jaya He,

Jaya Jaya Jaya, Jaya He

(The English translation)

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.

The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujurat and Maratha.

Of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.

It Echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga,

and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.

They pray for your blessing and sing thy praise.

The salvation of all people is thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny.

Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

Today the National Anthem makes so much more sense to me. I am touched by what I learnt and wished to share it with all my readers.
Today, I am even more proud to say that I am an Indian!

Wishing you all a very Happy Independence Day!

Angels in Disguise

(Photography - Vimal Tandan)

What I wish to share today has something to do with what happened few months back, before the rains. Then it was a regular routine for me and my baby to take a stroll in the garden.

One fine day, we happened to meet this 70 something year old, Gujarati speaking gentleman, who was taking a walk. With a smiling countenance, dressed in white, and hair completely white as snow, he looked at us and smiled. He then came forward and asked me "Is this your daughter". In his language "Beti che"? for which I replied "YES". And then smilingly, he lifted both his hands and gestured as if he was blessing us.

Few days later, we happened to meet an old lady, dressed in pink. The conversation began in a rather rude way though…but which I later realized was her way of sharing her concern for us, or her own learning through experience. The next day, I happened to see her sit on one of the benches in the garden, from where she waved to me. The following 5-10 minutes were then spent talking. Later, when I stood to bid her goodbye, she said ‘Jeete reh’. Which means 'Blessings on you.'

Then on, there were many others whom we met regularly in the garden. But both these identities are very strong in my mind, as 2 figures whom I wish to term as ‘Angels in Disguise’. They didn’t give me anything, didn’t offer me any sort of help. I do not even know who they are, where they came from. But what they did to me…has left a lasting impression of what I would like to call 'Divine Love'. Without even knowing me ‘They blessed me’. What I learnt is…some simple deeds can be special & meaningful.

I have watched the movie ‘EVAN ALMIGHTY’ many times. And it is one of my favorites. Today I am actually able to connect certain core dialogues of this movie with my own life. A slight background of this movie for those who haven't seen it. (Morgan Freeman plays the character of God. Evan is the main character who prays and asks God for strength, as he has been elected as the US Congressman and needs the wisdom and guidance to change the world.) To answer his prayer, God (Morgan Freeman) actually appears to him…and in their conversation tells him “People who want to change the world, just don’t know where to begin.” His solution to Evan was simple…Build an ARK.

ARK - One ‘Act of Random Kindness’

Many of us wish to do many things for the sick, needy, helpless. But just don’t know where to begin. Outside our sheltered lives, is a dying world. Homeless children, sick men and women, deserted parents, HIV infected people abandoned by their own families, widows; mothers selling their bodies to earn a loaf of bread for her kids, innocent children who are made to believe that ‘Pain is Pleasure’, little kids falling prey to evil and heinous crimes of men.

What this world needs is An ARK – Act of Random Kindness.

God has uniquely crafted each one of us. He has gifted us creatively. Together hand in hand, we can make a GREAT difference in many lives. We can build an ARK.

Step by step…moment by moment…may be by just learning to Smile.

In these past days, I have missed many opportunities to help or be of help to someone out there. My prayer to God is ‘Use me as an Angel in Disguise in this world’.

God bless.

If you can spare a few more minutes, do view the video below. Pukar - A song for a cause. Be Blessed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrI2Ah1xLXs&feature=player_embedded