What A. Bansal Thinks

Recently I was watching Rajkumar Rao 's " Bose - Dead or Alive ". Rao , as usual, was phenomenal in his work. But the scene that caught my attention was the introductory scene of Bose ' babu ' where he beats up a professor after the later forces the students to remove all the 'totems' in order to 'liberate' them from their superstitions. This took me back to my school days. Enrolled in a Convent Missionary school, once we got a circular instructing us to remove all the sacred objects or symbols like threads , lockets , bracelets etc. by the next day, failure of which would attract an invitation from the Principal's office. Next day was the much anticipated inspection from the baptized heads of the institution. It was quite Ironical to notice a person in a vestment with a cross around his neck instructing/forcing the students to remove all the totems as there is no real power attached to these objects.  ' Practice what you preach

"The Indian elite is a system where there is a 100 percent reservation for its own genetic material." - Manu Joseph, New York times. Bollywood is alleged to be the flag bearer of Nepotism . What is Nepotism ? The word usually surfaces when any actor from a lineage of 'Stars' is given a break in Bollywood . According to Oxford it is the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. In my opinion Bollywood is a scapegoat. Why to blame Bollywood ? India has been a flag bearer of Nepotism for centuries. The practice started when Kings used to declare their son as heir to the throne of their kingdom. The practice is still prevalent in England where currently Prince Charles is next in line to the British throne . Modern India is a product of Nepotism . It prevails in every field - from the Gandhi clan in politics to the Tatas , Birlas and Ambanis in the field of business. In his book &

The whole controversy around the movie 'Padmavati' has sparked a variety of debates in this 'secular' nation.  While some of the opinions are acceptable and are valid, many of them are mere bogus allegations. Amidst all this chaos, a word that has surfaced is - Jauhar. What is ' Jauhar  ' ? Tracing its roots from the Arabic translation of the Persian word, 'Jivhar', meaning jewel or merit, it is the practice of mass self-immolation by women to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by any foreign invaders, when facing certain defeat during a war. Jauhar was common among Rajput women and the Rajput community considers it as an act of valour and takes pride in it. But the Pandora's box of opinions has something else to offer. One amongst many of these questioned the practice of Rajput queens to commit ' Jauhar  '. They are asserting that choosing death over life is not an option and life is all about struggle. But, wha