Showing the Finger…

Funny but this time around it’s the middle finger that gets the ink dot for voting. Usually it is the index finger and when somebody asks me if I voted, I put up my index finger display it proudly. Guess I shall have to hold myself back this time!

PS: 2 posts in a day! I know, two much!

I voted…

Of course…
Did you?
Well today is the phase 2 of voting in India and there has been much excitement around voting.
Till last evening I was the only one from my family who was going to vote (I do every year). With a lot of convincing on my part, my sister also agreed to vote; though she termed my convincing as ‘lecturing’. After all results matter, don’t they! I am so proud of her.
We usually get voting slips and this time my sister’s name did not appear though she has a voter id. So we had to do a lot of hunting around different poll booths to find her name. It’s not easy, to say the least. Finally, we found one place which has a computer database and hence easier to search from list. There we found her details and so off we went.
Sadly, I couldn’t convince my mom enough. Her argument, it doesn’t make a difference whoever we vote, all are corrupt to some extent or the other! Well. To this my argument is you can at least cast your vote and try to change the system. Too add, I think after you vote and it still doesn’t work, you have a right to speak of the wrong-doings. Another argument my mom put up was that none of the candidates or their representatives have come soliciting votes this year. There have been some mass rallies true but not the old fashioned soliciting. She says they are all interested in the votes that they can buy, not the educated votes. To this, I rest my case. Why, I agree to this to some point. All the same, I have gone and cast my vote!

Does my voting give me a right to chastise those who have not voted? I don’t know. I reprimand them nonetheless. Of course after trying to convince them to vote!
If you haven’t already, go vote.

And the Oscar goes to…

Slumdog Millionaire ...
Slumdog Millionaire ...
Slumdog Millionaire ...
Well ok!
The whole day the news channels here are running news of how this is India’s victory, how this opens doors for Indians at the Academy etc.!
All the channels – radio and TV and repeatedly playing Jai Ho.
We hear – “The success of Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars had made India proud”.
Has it? Really?
I disagree. I, proudly Indian, disagree. No, I did not make a grammatical error there. I intend to say “proudly” and not “proud”.
I fail to understand why has this made people so happy? Is it the need to identify with anything successful that has remotely something to do with India? (I have similar views on associating Kalpana Chawla with India but that is another post.) This movie is not Indian. Neither a complete representation of India for that matter. India could be this but it is much more.
I have to admit that I have not yet watched the film. The initial reviews of the movie did that to me. From what I heard, India is not shown in good light. Yet, people rejoice!
I see a silver lining though. A.R. Rehman is truly a sensational musician and his getting the award makes me happy.
Other than that, even though the cast is from India, this movie is not.
I cant help but think, where does this leave Indians(or India), as slumdogs or millionaires?