When the Temple Was a Walk Away

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A five-minute walk required so little thought. I could simply step out. In Malleswaram, a friend turning up at our house in the evening usually meant we were going for a walk. A couple of friends from school or college would come over, and we would head to the nearby Hanuman temple. Afterward, we would stop at the railway station to watch the trains go by, talking, pulling each other’s legs, and figuring out where to get our next plate of bhel or masala puri. Uncomplicated. Even on days when nobody came, I would take the walk to the temple. There would inevitably be a few familiar faces to greet. Then I would lay out a plan with Hanuman so that he could help me figure out whatever was worrying me. A lab exam, a semester exam, a job interview. There was usually something coming up that required his attention. It was comforting to put everything before him. I could tell him what was on ...

Media - What a mockery!

You just have to open any Indian news website and the headlines scream forth - Abhiwarya Wedding, What happened in the last one hour, Sangeet at the wedding, Men jealous of Abhishek...and so on the nonsense continues. I just wonder why the media has to give so much publicity to a private wedding affair. Is anyone really interested in finding out what they are upto? There is a limit to all the idiosynchracies and after a point, it really gets on your nerves. It is also apalling to see a new comment everyday from Amitabh Bachchan proclaiming his son to be a demigod or something, praising his acting skills and what not. Why in the world should the world be interested in whether Aishwarya is a good daughter-in-law for the family or not? What is the need for Jaya Bachchan to issue such statements? The front page of every Indian newspaper is hogged by the wedding as if there is no other important issue to tackle at this point of time.

To top it all, the coverage continues as to who the invitees are and why some people are left out. The Shahrukh-Bachchan scandal was taken to new heights with each of them mud slinging the other. The media hyped it beyond proportions though. So what if they are the big guys, what is the need to attach so much importance to a private function? It just does not augur well for the media to give centerstage to such a miniscule event when there are other important issues to attend to. Nowadays, I just refrain from going to some of the Indian news sites for fear of getting bogged down by the unnecessities.

Who cares whether Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi are invited for the event or not? Who is bothered about how much is spent for the wedding? Who is worried about their honeymoon plans? Who cares whether Aishwarya plans to act after marriage or not? Who cares....

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