HEROES ARE PEOPLE TOO

(Michael Jackson’s death on June 25th, 2009 came as a shock to people all over the world. Never had I thought, that the person whose tunes I grew up on, can die someday, so suddenly, so unexpectedly. I thought him as timeless, as eternal, as interminable….. So did his millions of fans all over the world.

His death, makes us think…..that in reality, death is not partial even to one so famous. All people those we worship in life, be them ordinary ones or even great celebrities, all; all of them are mere mortals. And one day, like us, they will die too.

Yet what will be different about their death is that, they will still continue to live; in our hearts, in our soul, in their talents, their work and in all those people whose lives they have touched.

And this will inspire us that we can be like them too…..

To, Michael Jackson, a person who was our idol, our hero; I dedicate this poem, straight from the heart……….)

We look up to them & are in awe

For they are something different & nice

We love them with all our heart & soul

And follow their all advice

Yet sometimes we are confused

as to what is false & what is really true

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their successes are our own

Their wins fill us with joy

They are revered as they are

Whether aggressive, sweet or coy

Their downfall is a wound

That never heals in us

Their failures a bad dream

That makes us badly cuss

Its as if our life is attached

To their very existence

No reason justifies our love for them

Be it logic or great distance

Yet sometimes we hate them

Why; we don’t have a clue

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

For us, they are an open book

We expect they have nothing to hide

For us, we want them to move ahead

Leaving their personal life aside

When they give us happiness

We lift them up & worship them so

And their mistakes give us sorrow

Its like being struck by a blow

We pry in to what they are

We discuss their all affairs

But we still love their mannerisms

Those high-fi graces and airs

Yet sometimes, they seem so plastic

Like some entity new

How easily do we forget that-

Heroes are people too!

Their illnesses is a cause of concern

They begin residing in our prayer

One so talented should have a long life

Eternal should be the person so rare

And when they die, their death is a shock

Ordinary, what their life seems

For we thought them to be invincible

The rulers of our dreams

But they are mere mortals

Who live like us & die

But between their life & death

Give such a good try

That their ordinary life

Is much more than what ours is

Talents they learn to put to use

Thats what makes them a whiz

And so even when death takes them away

They still live within our heart

They house a particular corner in our mind

And never do they depart

So what they inspire us to do is that

We can be immortal too

They live their life with just a little difference

Otherwise, Heroes are people too!

EDUCATED UNEMPLOYED

Be proud to call yourself an “educated unemployed”!

Thanks to the stock market crash, many people all over the world are finding themselves to be a part of this category.

And fresh graduates like us, unable to find the work we desire and dream off.

Everyday we hear news of job lay-offs and get glad that we aren’t employed as yet.

But sometimes the depression comes wrapping us in darkness.

It is really funny, to study so much, spend a fortune on courses and ultimately getting nothing in return except disappointments.

Are the companies to be blamed? Or someone else?

Even funnier are the excuses?

Companies demand experienced candidates. Freshers get snubbed.

I don’t understand, how in the world, will you get experience until you a get a break?

Few days back, I saw a news item on TV regarding terrorists.

If you keep up with the news you will know that most of the young guys involved in bomb blasts are highly educated ones ranging from doctors, engineers to software professionals coming from highly respectable families.

What makes them undertake a life of crime?

Can you believe this? But, they actually get paid in form of salaries.

Their salary is upto 14 lakhs per month (i.e1.4 million)

In India, you get salaries like this annually. While the average middle class man earns less than half of this amount annually.

Are we ourselves driving the youth towards such a life of crime and terrorism???

No wonder the youth gets drawn towards illegal stuff, murder and suicide in extreme cases.

What about those who have a huge family to support and countless mouths to feed?

When are we going to wake up to provide the youth a secure future?

Or are we going to resign them to a life of despair?

Are we just going to keep the tagging with the sign “JOBLESS”?

I R IDIOT

Few years ago, we used to watch a cartoon I AM WEASEL on the Cartoon Network. It was a story of a smart weasel and an idiot baboon. The baboon, apparently, weak in his grammar skills, never managed to get any sentence right….While introducing himself, he always used to say, “I R BABOON”. What a stupid fella!

You know what, just like this so-called stupid baboon, we label so many kids as stupid too. Every kid, today, invariably gets suffocated under the burden of expectations that his parents place on him. Good marks in school, best at sports, that’s what each parent wants to hear. No one is willing to accept that our child can be just plain ordinary.

Now, how many of us, what’s DYSLEXIA is all about. It’s a common curable problem. I am sorry, I must say “a common manageable problem”. But, alas, very misunderstood and people are not aware at all. Parents as well as teachers at school, so conveniently dub the kids as “duffers” , when the kids are below average in their day-to-day school work.

Dyslexia is a very normal problem. It’s a learning disability that specifically manifests in form of difficulty in writing, as well as reading and spelling.

Children suffering from this disorder, normally get confused between the letters b,d,p,q and mix them up. Sometimes, the letters are written backwards, or upside down or like mirror images. However, dyslexia is not a visual problem at all. Sometimes, they have difficulty in understanding arithmetic, there is left-right confusion, poor short-term memory, problem in processing a lot of information together etc..

But, that’s alright. A little patience with these kids, and they can be the best at anything they hope to be. They are as normal as you and me and just as sane. Language therapy and working on their writing abilities can help do wonders.

Did you know, great personalities like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, all were dyslexic. So are, Abhishek Bacchhan, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise…

And, well, Agatha Christie, the great writer herself was a dyslexic.

I recommend, you watch, the Bollywood movie, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. It’s an excellent film dealing with an 8 year old dyslexic kid and how he overcomes his disability and depression to pursue his passion of painting!

Brilliant portray of emotions and an amazing movie of competent and commendable actors.

It’s a film with a message. An universal message, that “Every child is special”.

As, Aamir Khan, says in the movie, Dyslexia is just a problem with the wiring in the brain. That’s it. Nothing else.

Every kid, every child, every little bud that’s about to flower, deserves the best in Life…..deserves a life worth living.

AND, I R NO IDIOT

You and me, all of us are SPECIAL…

TWO FRIENDS

(This is one of those rare poems of mine, which is based on a personal experience.

I remember, someone had once told me to control temper otherwise it will cause more destruction than anyone can imagine. The worst part of life is taking people who care for you, as granted and never thinking about the relationship.

So, when you forget to keep your emotions in check, they just are vented out in the wrong way often destroying the beauty of the relationship that might be very important to you.

Thus begins the poem…..)

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Once there were two friends and both of them were near.

Each one thought that the other one was so very dear.

Glad they were that their friendship

Was strong and great.

Glad they were that their love for each other

Was more than any hate.

They realized attachment happened suddenly

in a very short time span.

Together they said, would care for each other

and help whenever they can.

Forever they decided will their friendship remain

and never know a fall.

But even before they knew what happened,

it reached a dead end wall.

Just because of a trouble,

Misunderstandings did creep.

After a brief spell of anger,

One of them did weep.

A single moment of rage

and nothing worthwhile was left.

Lost amidst the egos,

No promises were kept.

Life moved on, all was fine

and their friendship lay forgotten.

Beautiful once the memories were

Which now lay rotten.

It hurt them for some time

but happiness still remained there.

So it hardly mattered

when they didn’t show any care.

Their friend”ship” sank one day

When it rocked on the waves of mistrust.

Their feelings for each other

were soon left to rust.

Thus ended the story of two wonderful friends

Who lost their relationship and never made amends…

A DISTORTED CHILDHOOD

As soon as we begin the day, there are so many problems with which we have to deal.

Some are minor, others can be horrific and the worst of them all is that of CHILD ABUSE.

“Child Abuse can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive contact on a child’s body and; any communication or transaction of any kind which humiliates or frightens the child.”

There are many types of child abuse, Emotional abuse, Neglect, Physical abuse, Sexual abuse….

Children are forced into prostitution or are used in porn rackets.

All of them are derogatory and shameful acts.

Surprisingly most of the child abuse cases happen at homes. Most of them are performed by parents, relatives or persons that the child knows. Even, a large number of cases involve organizations such as schools, child-care institutes, etc..

The after-effects of child abuse are equally negative. They spoil a kid’s childhood but also haunt him/her throughout the adult life. The child can suffer from low self-esteem, depression, cognitive disability, aggressive behavior, suicidal tendency etc…

Many of us might wonder what are the causes of child abuse. In many cases, the molester himself might have been a victim of child abuse or perhaps he might be suffering from some psychological disorder. IN case of neglect, stress can be a driving force behind this kind of emotional child abuse.

Whatever the reasons be, they do not justify this humiliating act. The pain and trauma of a child sexually abused is something which no person of a clear conscience can tolerate. It is essential to put and end to this kind of maltreatments.

AWARENESS among people can be the first thing to combat this. Parent education classes, family support programs can be undertaken both on a small scale and large scale basis.

However, the sad part is many a times, family members themselves are responsible for committing such atrocities on their own child. Court intervention in such cases becomes absolutely necessary.

According to an UNICEF report, countries like the US and UK ranked lowest among the rich nations with respect to the well being of their children.

In India too, a shocking 53% of the children are subjected to sexual abuse but then, most of the cases are never reported. Every second child is emotionally abused and in 83% of cases parents are the abusers.

While in the West, there are strict laws and lots of NGOs working with such cases, child abuse is being dealt with. However, in India, laws dealing with sexual offenses do not recognize child abuse. It’s sad but true that the Indian Penal code 1860 has no sections dealing with child sexual abuse. It only addresses rape and sodomy out of which rape is not specifically given as it does not include abuse on “boys”.

Ever imagined, how a child dealing with this is living……..ever imagined, the reason behind those meek eyes and unshed tears….ever imagined, the silent plea for help….

As good Samaritans, it’s our duty to prevent such forms of abuse and spread awareness. The “International Day for Child Rights” is on November 19th. Merely observing it will serve no purpose!

If you come across such in-human acts, do not hesitate to report to your nearest child care center. Who knows, you might be saving some kid’s life from the clutches of such gruesome treatment.

Atleast, you can volunteer around NGOs working for abused children and help the kids to fight off the trauma and depression.

“Let kids be kids.

Lets not take their childhood away.

Lets provide them with a safe and secure future.

Lets wipe their tears and leave smiles on their faces….”

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LIST OF OTHER WEB RESOURCES DEALING WITH CHILD ABUSE:

• ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Child Welfare Initiative Resource Centre

• Centre for Europe’s Children
  

• Child Abuse Prevention Network
  

• Child Protection
  

• Child Sexual Abuse
  

• Children’s Protection and Advocacy Coalition
  

• Childwatch International
  

• Defense for Children International
  

• Global ChildNet
  

• International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
  

• Interpol’s Legislation of Member States on Missing Children
  

• Pandora’s Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse
  

• Parental Abduction in Divorce
  

• Ricky Greenwald’s Child Trauma Page