Stop Racism

A couple of years ago,when Indian students were subjected to hate crimes in Australia,there was a huge uproar back home.The national media made headlines out of it while people cried foul.The racial attacks on Indian students were highly condemned with Australia being labelled as a 'racist' nation. But how morally worthy are we to accuse another country when racism is rampant in our very own backyard?

The attacks on an African student,23 year old Yannick Nihangaza stands testimony to this fact. The youngster from Burundi had enrolled into Lovely Professional University(!) ,Punjab for his degree in computer science. He was assaulted by a group of boys ,one of them apparently  the son of a police officer.
Yannick was attacked for his color-BLACK. This racially motivated attack proves that we are no better than the Aussies.Is this the way we treat a student who has come to our country for his education? Where has 'Athithi Devo Bhava' gone?.

We make a hue and cry when we become victims of hate crimes abroad,but take a lethargic course when it comes to racist crimes in our country. It was only 2 months after the attack that the Punjab government had ordered a probe into the incident. A partly sum of rs 5 lakh has been provided to Yannick who is severely brain damaged. But is providing monetary relief the solution to this problem?

India has been considered as a tolerant nation for centuries together. But that reputation is now on the decline as racism is assuming dangerous proportions.There is nothing worse than getting abused for one's color.

I hope justice is delivered to Yannick and his attackers severely punished.Unless the society completely shuns racism,there will be many more such Yannicks.

A wake up call

The trial in the Keenan-Reuben case is scheduled to begin sometime later this month .Keenan(24) and Reuben(29) were brutally killed by a group of men,outside a restaurant in Andheri,Mumbai last October.

Their mistake?..Confronting a drunkard when he tried to misbehave with one of their female friends.

After being warned by the two,the drunkard swearing revenge returned with his accomplices,all of them armed with knives and sticks. Keenan and Reuben having sent the girls inside the restaurant,faced the mob all alone. Both were repeatedly stabbed and left to die. While Keenan lost his life the same day,Reuben died a few days later.

The most disturbing aspect of this horrific incident is that NONE of the onlookers came to the youngster's rescue. It is shocking that when two young boys were brutally beaten up by a dozen men in a busy area,not a  single passerby offered help. The public could have easily outnumbered the mob and overpowered them. Atleast had they quickly informed the police,the situation could have been bought under control. But it was only the girls who were inside the restaurant who had called the police.

Where is our country heading to?.We always remain mute spectators to the happenings around us. There are numerous instances when heinous crimes have been committed in full public view with no one coming to the victim's rescue. Why is this callous attitude so prevalent in the society?. I am sure none of us would have been taught to ignore the world around us or flee the place when we witness innocent people getting killed. But that is precisely what is happening. The sympathy for the victim is overshadowed by the fear for one's own life.

Being a good samaritan does not necessarily mean sacrificing our lives for others. But what we can most  certainly do is to try our level best to help others in every possible way.Humanity and compassion should not be only subjects taught at school. They should be cultivated from within and upheld all our life.

Living for ourselves will definitely make us happy and satisfied. But making a positive difference in other's lives will make our existence a meaningful one.

Review of Telugu movie Godavari

LOVE AT ONE OF ITS BEST

MOVIE:    Godavari(2006 ,Telugu)
CAST  :    Sumanth,Kamalini Mukherjee,Kamal Kamaraju
     

The title gives a fair insight of what the movie is all about-A beautiful love story with the river Godavari as its backdrop.Director Sekhar Kammula who had previously given the runaway and critically acclaimed hit 'Anand' comes back with a poetic love story.

PLOT:

Ram(Sumanth) is an idealistic youngster who wants to serve the society by joining politics.He has a soft corner for his relative Raji(Neetu Chandra) whom he wishes to marry.But Raji's father fixes her marriage with Ravi(Kamal Kamaraju),an IPS officer.Disheartened Ram accompanies the family to Bhadrachalam for the wedding.This trip via Godavari changes his life as he meets Seetha (Kamalini Mukherjee) who is an independent fashion designer .After initial misunderstandings, Seetha falls in love with Ram for his ideals and values.Whether Ram will be able to get over his first love and falls in love with Seetha forms the remaining part of the story.Sumanth as Ram gives a subtle and stellar performance.Kamalini proves that she was no flash in the pan.In just her second movie the actress spells class.Neetu and Kamal perform their roles to perfection.

DIRECTOR'S TOUCH:
Sekhar Kammula,known for his different take on human relationships has once again proved the same by beautifully showcasing a boy's love for a street dog.Circumstances which force the duo to accompany the wedding party on their trip are well etched.

BOTTOMLINE:
Watch the movie for the visual treat it offers,with enchanting music and great performances by the lead cast.