Concerns of the jobless.

I have been feeling irritated for quite some days over the furore created in media recently over 3 issues.
a) Sachin cuttting a tricolor cake.
b) Narayanmurty playing the instrumental jana gana mana for his phoren guests
c) Gere kissing Shetty. Nope, sorry, the issue was not with him kising her, but with Shetty not objecting to Gere's kisses.


a) Maybe Sachin COULD have chosen a better image for his cake than that of our flag, to cut into little pieces. But has anybody who is complaining made countrymen feel as proud of their country as Sachin did once upon a time?
Just because the poor guy is rather down on his luck and India's bowed out (been kicked unceremoniously out would be more like it) of the World Cup does not mean that he has to ask other people before having his cake and cutting it and eating it.
We have umpteen little flags being sold at signals and adorning our vehicles some days before Republic/Independence Day. What happens to all these trocolours after D-Day? Most of us dump it, give it to our kids to do what they please with it or whatever.... I should think that hardly anybody reverently stores it in their puja room till the next D Day !!!


b) Now coming to NRN.
I very strongly feel that he had no need to be so very accomodating to his foreign guests. That they would have given respect to our national anthem if they were told that it was such. I have not read the actual news snippet, so I have no idea what the occasion was when NRN committed his gaffe. Whether it merited the playing of the national anthem. But that is for NRN to decide...
Infosys and I have existed, and will continue to co-exist peacfully, me caring as much for what goes on iside Infosys, as Infosys cares for what goes on inside my house.
But whatever that may be, I certainly am of the opinion that NRN certainly has commited no disrespect to the nation by playing the instrumental version of the national anthem. It is a lovely bit of music heard with the lyrics, and it is a lovely bit of music when bands blare out the instrumental version on certain occasions. NRN may have felt that his guests would appreciate the music part of the national anthem better when listening to the instrumental version of it.
The same argument that I put forward for Sachin holds good here too...
This man has brought the face of India prominently on the global map. More so than many other politicians and leaders. And infinitely more so than the rabble raising crowd who raise their voice against his non-patriotism and disrespect to the nation.
He, more than any other Indian ( to my knowledge) has done a world of good for the Indian youth. He has given them employment.
He has given them confidence to hold their heads high, to go out into the world ably equipped to deliver and even to compete, with any Tom,Dick and Harry- from any part of the world.
His brainchild, Infosys, has contributed to the coffers of the nation not a little.
He has given to the world at large an image of India, which is other than that of fakirs and snakecharmers and destitute mothers and children.
He has earned for India the respect of stalwarts in the global IT industry.
With all this he remains a humble man at heart, who flaunts neither his riches nor his achievements. Who holds traditions close to his heart.
Let us not make mountains out of molehills. It is hard to believe that a man like this could ever mean disrespect to the nation, by any action of his. And if even if there were a lapse of judgement, he has apologised to the entire nation for it. What more does the patriotic Indian want?
Probably they want him to just shout at every little injustice, wearing pristine, well starched khadar clothes, sitting on his fat arse and generally doing nothing?


c) Next is Shilpa Shetty.
Why o WHY on earth cannot the media let her live her life in peace? There are umpteen young women I know who are getting hugged and kissed by men Indian and foreign , in public places-malls and crowded streets. Who's to complain about their behaviour? And what's there to complain? So long as it is a mere display of affection and not hormones raging out totally of control, I see nothing objectionable in it.
C'mon, Gere gave her a peck on her cheek, It was not a smooch! A kiss is a mode of greeting for Gere, most probably, a gesture of bonhomie. And it was in front of an audience, so obviously it was not done with lecherous intentions. Unless Richard Gere is a pervert who gets his kicks out of people watching him 'perform'.
Shilpa may not have found anything objectionable in the kiss. Even if she did take objection to the friendly peck, she may not have wanted to blow the whole incident out of proportion and detract from the greater cause for which she and Gere had gathered. But again our narrow minded, jobless, select(for I should not generalise) Indian public has created a Mt. Everest out of a pimple.
More than with the kiss they are upset that Shilpa has not objected. Maybe she should have slapped Gere on his cheek and screamed, "Mr. Gere, I'm an Indian nari, How dare you take such liberties as kissing an Indian nari's cheek in front of an audience, Mr Gere? Don't you know that it is entirely the privilege of Bollywood heroes to do all that- and more in front of the camera? So that a million other lecherous, covetuous Indians can feast their voyeuristic eyes on it?"
It will be wholly due to the greatness of his heart if Mr. Gere continues with his campaign against AIDS in India, after all the furore created over a peck on the cheek.

There! I feel much better for putting down my frustrations. Folks, pls feel free to comment and add your little bits