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garam_kuta
Maria S
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Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 2:22 pm
I am always touched by the kindness and generosity of the people in India who don't have to be- like the women who sell flowers who often give a few extra roses, or strands of jasmine with a smile..the older people who work in small roadside shops and give a free refill of fruit juice, or a few idlis, vadais..or a cup of coffee/chai when you say it's good, people who can fix the handbag or high heels without asking for anything- young people..who work in stores, are so energetic and help with errands without charging anything (when they can easily ask for more!)..some even refuse to accept large tips (as they seen it as large)..have to force them to take it.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Harsh_Mander/article2882340.ece
Excerpt:
"We don't know the answers to these questions. But we do know the feeling of guilt that is with us now. Guilt that is compounded by the love and generosity we got from people who live on the other side, despite their tough lives. We may have treated them as strangers all our lives, but they surely didn't treat us as that way. So what did these two friends learn from their brief encounter with poverty? That hunger can make you angry. That a food law which guarantees adequate nutrition to all is essential. That poverty does not allow you to realise even modest dreams. And above all — in Matt's words — that empathy is essential for democracy. "
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Harsh_Mander/article2882340.ece
Excerpt:
"We don't know the answers to these questions. But we do know the feeling of guilt that is with us now. Guilt that is compounded by the love and generosity we got from people who live on the other side, despite their tough lives. We may have treated them as strangers all our lives, but they surely didn't treat us as that way. So what did these two friends learn from their brief encounter with poverty? That hunger can make you angry. That a food law which guarantees adequate nutrition to all is essential. That poverty does not allow you to realise even modest dreams. And above all — in Matt's words — that empathy is essential for democracy. "
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by garam_kuta Mon Feb 13, 2012 2:36 pm
very touching, Mariakka!. I am reminded of, I think it's Peter Moore- not sure, an incident that he wrote when he was visiting madurai meenakshi temple. two kids tried to sell him jasmine flowers for offering to the goddess at a very reasonable price but for some reason he thought they were trying to cheat him on the price and didn't buy. A little later the same kids came to him, gave jasmine flower braids, said just "free ! free!" as they did not speak english and left. He was totally perplexed, thought for a while and tried to locate them to give money but they were apparently gone. He wrote that he could only pray for them and wish them well. This moved me and many times I see/smell jasmine I am reminded of this.
garam_kuta- Posts : 3768
Join date : 2011-05-18
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:04 pm
Thank you Garam:)
Appreciate you sharing Moore's experience..and the part about how jasmine reminds you of that- the power of associations!
I read your response to DUT in the thread about Whitney's choices. It was nice to see your empathy..who has not made poor choices? Some are merely luckier than others..Also, as you say..some people are simply larger than their own lives..but, for the pain and failures/short lives..who knows
they perhaps could not create what they did and have the impact they had on so many lives.
And I'll take the akka:) It's endearing and respectful..it's also okay for you and that dancing girl..to simply see me as M!
Appreciate you sharing Moore's experience..and the part about how jasmine reminds you of that- the power of associations!
I read your response to DUT in the thread about Whitney's choices. It was nice to see your empathy..who has not made poor choices? Some are merely luckier than others..Also, as you say..some people are simply larger than their own lives..but, for the pain and failures/short lives..who knows
they perhaps could not create what they did and have the impact they had on so many lives.And I'll take the akka:) It's endearing and respectful..it's also okay for you and that dancing girl..to simply see me as M!
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Jeremiah Mburuburu Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:25 pm
another article, from march, 2002, by harsh mander:
http://www.sacw.net/Gujarat2002/Harshmandar2002.html
as described on march 13, 2002, "Harsh Mander, the writer, is a serving IAS Officer, who is working on deputation with a development organisation."
[size=9]
some excerpts from the above article:
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
Reflections on the Gujarat massacre
By Harsh Mander
Numbed with disgust and horror, I return from Gujarat ten days after
the terror and massacre that convulsed the state. My heart is
sickened, my soul wearied, my shoulders aching with the burdens of
guilt and shame.
[size=9][size=9]
...
[/size][/size]I force myself to write a small fraction of all that I heard and saw,
because it is important that we all know. Or maybe also because I
need to share my own burdens.
What can you say about a woman eight months pregnant who begged to be spared.
Her assailants instead slit open her stomach, pulled out
her foetus and slaughtered it before her eyes. What can you say
about a family of nineteen being killed by flooding their house with
water and then electrocuting them with high-tension electricity.
What can you say?
A small boy of six in Juhapara camp described how his mother and six
brothers and sisters were battered to death before his eyes. He
survived only because he fell unconscious, and was taken for dead. A
family escaping from Naroda-Patiya, one of the worst-hit settlements
in Ahmedabad, spoke of losing a young woman and her three month old
son, because a police constable directed her to `safety' and she
found herself instead surrounded by a mob which doused her with
kerosene and set her and her baby on fire.
I have never known a riot which has used the sexual subjugation of
women so widely as an instrument of violence in the recent mass
barbarity in Gujarat. There are reports every where of gang-rape, of
young girls and women, often in the presence of members of their
families, followed by their murder by burning alive, or by
bludgeoning with a hammer and in one case with a screw driver.
Women in the Aman Chowk shelter told appalling stories about how
armed men disrobed themselves in front of a group of terrified women to cower them down further.
...
There is much that the murdering mobs in Gujarat have robbed from
me. One of them is a song I often sang with pride and conviction.
The words of the song are:
Sare jahan se achha
Hindustan hamara.
It is a song I will never be able to sing again.
13 March 2002
[/size]
http://www.sacw.net/Gujarat2002/Harshmandar2002.html
as described on march 13, 2002, "Harsh Mander, the writer, is a serving IAS Officer, who is working on deputation with a development organisation."
[size=9]
some excerpts from the above article:
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
Reflections on the Gujarat massacre
By Harsh Mander
Numbed with disgust and horror, I return from Gujarat ten days after
the terror and massacre that convulsed the state. My heart is
sickened, my soul wearied, my shoulders aching with the burdens of
guilt and shame.
[size=9][size=9]
...
[/size][/size]I force myself to write a small fraction of all that I heard and saw,
because it is important that we all know. Or maybe also because I
need to share my own burdens.
What can you say about a woman eight months pregnant who begged to be spared.
Her assailants instead slit open her stomach, pulled out
her foetus and slaughtered it before her eyes. What can you say
about a family of nineteen being killed by flooding their house with
water and then electrocuting them with high-tension electricity.
What can you say?
A small boy of six in Juhapara camp described how his mother and six
brothers and sisters were battered to death before his eyes. He
survived only because he fell unconscious, and was taken for dead. A
family escaping from Naroda-Patiya, one of the worst-hit settlements
in Ahmedabad, spoke of losing a young woman and her three month old
son, because a police constable directed her to `safety' and she
found herself instead surrounded by a mob which doused her with
kerosene and set her and her baby on fire.
I have never known a riot which has used the sexual subjugation of
women so widely as an instrument of violence in the recent mass
barbarity in Gujarat. There are reports every where of gang-rape, of
young girls and women, often in the presence of members of their
families, followed by their murder by burning alive, or by
bludgeoning with a hammer and in one case with a screw driver.
Women in the Aman Chowk shelter told appalling stories about how
armed men disrobed themselves in front of a group of terrified women to cower them down further.
...
There is much that the murdering mobs in Gujarat have robbed from
me. One of them is a song I often sang with pride and conviction.
The words of the song are:
Sare jahan se achha
Hindustan hamara.
It is a song I will never be able to sing again.
13 March 2002
[/size]
Jeremiah Mburuburu- Posts : 1251
Join date : 2011-09-09
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by chameli Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:35 pm
when a mob gets inflamed thee is no stopping it
and in this case it got inflamed because a bunch of innocent unprepared pilgrims were burnt in a train by Muslims ...for absolutely no reason other than they were Hindus
deal with that
and in this case it got inflamed because a bunch of innocent unprepared pilgrims were burnt in a train by Muslims ...for absolutely no reason other than they were Hindus
deal with that
chameli- Posts : 1073
Join date : 2011-10-07
Age : 38
Location : Dallas USA
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:52 pm
Do I have to acknowledge you now Jeremiah?
"Jeremiah"..really? Why the name (or a name- named after) the Weeping Prophet? A Kishtian boy can become an Agnostic..but, I guess..there will always be some remnants of some Biblical connection!
Anyways, life is to short..and it's Valentine's Day already in some places in the world!
I'm always up for fresh and new beginnings, don't you ruin it here..in this forum!
Happy Valentine's day Jeremiah! Hope all is well with you.
"Jeremiah"..really? Why the name (or a name- named after) the Weeping Prophet? A Kishtian boy can become an Agnostic..but, I guess..there will always be some remnants of some Biblical connection!
Anyways, life is to short..and it's Valentine's Day already in some places in the world!
I'm always up for fresh and new beginnings, don't you ruin it here..in this forum!
Happy Valentine's day Jeremiah! Hope all is well with you.
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Hellsangel Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:59 pm
Maria S wrote:Do I have to acknowledge you now Jeremiah?
"Jeremiah"..really? Why the name (or a name- named after) the Weeping Prophet? A Kishtian boy can become an Agnostic..but, I guess..there will always be some remnants of some Biblical connection!
Anyways, life is to short..and it's Valentine's Day already in some places in the world!
I'm always up for fresh and new beginnings, don't you ruin it here..in this forum!
Happy Valentine's day Jeremiah! Hope all is well with you.
Jeremiah Obadiah
puff, puff, puffs
When he has a stuffy nose he
snuff, snuff, snuffs,
When he goes to school each day he
roar, roar, roars,
When he goes to bed at night he
snore, snore, snores,
When he gets a special treat he eats
plum-duff,
Jeremiah Obadiah
puff, puff, puff.
Hellsangel- Posts : 14721
Join date : 2011-04-28
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:04 pm
Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:another article, from march, 2002, by harsh mander:
http://www.sacw.net/Gujarat2002/Harshmandar2002.html
as described on march 13, 2002, "Harsh Mander, the writer, is a serving IAS Officer, who is working on deputation with a development organisation."
[size=9]
some excerpts from the above article:
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
Reflections on the Gujarat massacre
By Harsh Mander
Sare jahan se achha
Hindustan hamara.
It is a song I will never be able to sing again.
[size=9]13 March 2002
Very touchy and hope those individuals are caught and hanged in public.
Can you also please post some information on the Sikh riots?
Marathadi-Saamiyaar- Posts : 17675
Join date : 2011-04-30
Age : 110
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:06 pm
Aww ..
Please..NO MORE nit, nit, nit..
Like a twit, twit, twit..
And pick, pick, pick,
Until it makes you sick, sick, sick!
Don't want to see that again-same old incredible bore, bore, bore..
And make us snore, snore, snore!
..Please..NO MORE nit, nit, nit..
Like a twit, twit, twit..
And pick, pick, pick,
Until it makes you sick, sick, sick!
Don't want to see that again-same old incredible bore, bore, bore..
And make us snore, snore, snore!
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by chameli Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:35 pm
when speaketh J mburuburu
logon ka hota hain kit kit shuru
I look upon him as my chat guru
kaise kisika mooh ab chup karu ?
logon ka hota hain kit kit shuru
I look upon him as my chat guru
kaise kisika mooh ab chup karu ?
chameli- Posts : 1073
Join date : 2011-10-07
Age : 38
Location : Dallas USA
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:44 pm
Hello Chameli!
Appreciate your understanding of what I said/implied!
Communication is indeed an artform.."for" people who enjoy the pleasures "of" pleasant company!
Appreciate your understanding of what I said/implied!
Communication is indeed an artform.."for" people who enjoy the pleasures "of" pleasant company!
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Guest Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:49 pm
you raised a sugary,
I raised a syrupy
syrupy, sugary
sugary, syrupy
oh, we make each other
so happy
I raised a syrupy
syrupy, sugary
sugary, syrupy
oh, we make each other
so happy
Guest- Guest
Re: Barefoot - The other side of life
by Maria S Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:05 pm
Sugary, Syrupy and Happy!
Cool, although it sounds sappy!
Just hope some Frumpy..
Doesn't dampen the fun, being all sour and Grumpy!
*I like your concise lines Tracy..fewer words, nice .
Cool, although it sounds sappy!
Just hope some Frumpy..
Doesn't dampen the fun, being all sour and Grumpy!
*I like your concise lines Tracy..fewer words, nice
.
Maria S- Posts : 2879
Join date : 2011-12-31
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