Towards the light

It was dark, very dark, and I never knew whether I had gone blind or whether the sun had abandoned this world. The perpetual darkness brought along with it a perpetual state of anxiety as well. I drifted in and out of sleep, I couldn't know whether it was day or night. Almost always I was awakened by the loud flapping of wings. Some great winged creature roamed the skies, and I could never be sure whether there were more than one. It's presence was ominous, and I remained as still as I could whenever I heard those wings. At times, for a fleeting instance I could see a flicker of light. However it would almost immediately be obliterated by this blanket of darkness. I gave up trying to figure if my vision was being restored, or whether the clouds had parted to give me a glimpse of the sun. Some beast howled in the distance, was he as lonely as I was?
I was constantly driven by the desire to run, but my fears prevented me from venturing too far. It didn't take long before I finally overcame them. I knew not why I ran, but I just did with all my strength. I only stopped when I ran out of breath, or when I heard the wings. They were everywhere and I couldn't escape them. Maybe they were as blind as I was, because no matter how close they seemed to be at times, when I remained motionless I went undetected.
There were days I fell and injured myself. I could never know how bad the injury was. The only indicator was the pain, when it dissipated I assumed I had healed. The silence as well as the cacophony of the darkness competed with each other to capture my mind with the grip of insanity. I resisted.
Then one day, my feet lifted off the ground. I stretched my toes as much as I could to feel the earth . But they couldn't. I didn't feel like I was falling, and I couldn't imagine I could fly. The flapping sound returned louder than ever and I couldn't hide. But unlike previous times, this time it did not subside. Then it dawned, the wings that displaced the air around them were mine. I soared into the darkness that the skies had become. When I looked down I could see silhouettes of my kind, I didn't know where they would fly to. I looked up and saw the same flicker of light again, it seemed a little closer this time.
The journey thus began, a flight in search of the light....

Give us the news!

Who gives a damn if Paris Hilton goes to or gets out of jail?
Who gives a rat's ass about Bipasha's infidelity?
How on earth does it make a difference to my life if a certain Prince called William gets back with his girlfriend?

I'll tell you news that would make a difference to my life:

• Tell me about the possibility of terror cells in India, especially after the shattering of the myth of Indian muslims being immune to jihadi calls.
• Tell me what runs through Muqtada'smind when he sees American military bases in his country.
• Tell me about the plights of the farmers of Vidharbha, when nature puts them through drought and floods, both in the same year.
• Tell me about the changing face of Tibet, the continuing plunder of Africa's resources, the Latin American rise against USA

Many media houses, the diseminators of information, seem to forget that they bear upon themselves the responsibility of nurturing a well-informed public. Paris Hilton's immoral antics may amuse the public, but does nothing to improve's it's understanding of the world. Between an amused public and well-informed public, I think the latter holds a better chance at taking this world forward safely.

Shifting shades

The day until now has been one that has offered a lot of contrast.
I shared a general class compartment with poor labourers from Tamil Nadu crossing over the state borders to work at construction sites and mills in Kerala. That was at 4 in the morning. A few hours later I shared a flight with entrepreneurs from Kerala heading to Bangalore for business needs.
I left Kerala feeling slightly disheartened, having to come to terms with the senility of my forebears. But back home, as I saw Ved kicking and punching wildly after his feeding session, I was reminded of life's promise of hope and opportunity for a newborn.
The rainy skies of Kerala were replaced by a sunny morning in Bangalore.
Isn't this contrast essential for our appreciation of life's facets?