What A. Bansal Thinks

S o I watched ' Dhadak ' this weekend. Booking the tic kets itself was an act of valor as the movie had received widely negative reviews. But contrary to the popular opinion, I found the rom com worth watching and worth my time. The main plus point of the movie is its genre. With the Bollywood wildly romanticizing the genres of biopics and nationalism, I must say, the movie brings with itself a breath of fresh air.   The story revolves around  two young passionate lovers who find themselves trapped in the hierarchy of the society and ultimately fall victim to it.   What shook me to the very core was the ending of the movie. There was a stunned silence in the  theater, as everyone's mind was blown away with the harsh reality of ' Honor killing' . After watching the movie, a person feels nothing but sorry for the society and for the people living in it .  Over the years, we have fabricated for ourselves such a large number of traditions, values...

'They all started together with the aim of cracking PMT (Pre Medical Test), they studied together, even went to the same coaching institute. Every one was a MBBS aspirant and loved to be called one. Then, the moment of truth happened and some got admission in MBBS while others opted for alternate systems of medicine like Ayurveda , Homeopathy or Unani .' This summarizes the entry of medical students in the various systems of medicine in India . The ultimate aim of any system of medicine is to cure illness. But for getting to a remedy, one needs to understand the root cause of the problem and for apprehending the problem, one needs to understand the normal functioning of the body. This is what forms the basis of the curriculum for every system of medicine. While the physiology and pathology of human body is constant and has to be taught alike in every course, it is the cure that is based on different principles and beliefs and this is what segregates different system...

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...

The Supreme Court of India has declared triple talaq as unconstitutional in a judgement which is being considered as a milestone for women empowerment.  This decision will help many muslim women to abstain from a life, which is at mere will of her husband's speech.  So, this decision, in a way prevents muslim women from leading a life of 'half widow'. But, what about those women who are forced to live a pathetic life as widows due to death of their husbands?  If you are into news, you would be fully ' unaware ' where I am going with this , because no news channel cares about them. Yes! What about the empowerment of Hindu women who lead a terrible life after the death of their husbands !! If you visit Mathura , Vrindavan or Radhakund , you will surely notice, women in white, singing bhajans, relentlessly in temples and ashrams, sometimes continuously for 7-8 hours.  At first, one is quite impressed by their dedication towards Lord, but if one digs...

A widespread chaos has spread in Northern India with the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a case of sexual assault. This has put the credibility of Gurus in different parts of the country to test. Foreign media is questioning how a modern India could be in thrall of these self-styled godmen or Gurus . Here are some excerpts from the coverage of this event by international media houses - BBC - "How a divided India fuelled the rise of the gurus?" Washington Post - "If anything, however, the situation in Panchkula illustrates how intractable the guru world remains in India’s globalizing social and political circles.” France24 - “Like other thousands of gurus in India, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is, above all, a powerful man.” Australia's ABC -   “Some Indian holy men can summon thousands of supporters on to the streets. Their systems of patronage and sermons are hugely popular with people who think the government has failed them.” So, let...

Seven out of the ten people on Facebook have shared the Sarahah screenshots, are you one of them? THE SARAHAH BROUHAHA!! Back in the time, Kings used to disguise themselves and go amidst the folks to know their opinions about the ruler. It helped them gather honest reviews from the people which would eventually help the king in running the state properly. They say ' history repeats itself '. With the advent of technology, this disguise has come in the form of Sarahah , a platform which according to the developers allows users to “ get honest feedback from co-workers and friends” to “help people self-develop by receiving constructive anonymous feedback ”. In simple terms, if you think that a person is blockhead but you are reluctant to say it in the face of person due to social etiquettes, just post it on Sarahah, completely anonymously, leaving the receiver in complete despair! Fun, right ? With the app occupying the pole position for past few months, one can e...

How can a woman think of consenting or not consenting for a thing which a man didn't even intend to do ? About a couple of decades ago, a movement started in India, with sole agenda of countering misogyny . What is misogyny ? It is defined as the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. That movement was a success and was able to bridge some gap between the orthodox (old)  and the younger generations. While that movement is still active and is doing wonders in the country, a new facet of this movement has been observed nowadays and that is misandry. Heard the word for the first time? Don't worry. The word struggles for its existence even in Oxford English Corpus where it has 29 examples while misogyny appears more than 1,500 times. What is misandry ? It is simply, misogyny of men. It is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men or boys. Sounds strange? But it's true. In recent times, what these  ' pro-feminist '...

"We are united, they are divided, we are confident,  they are diffident, we are moving forward, they are  looking backward"  - Venkaiah Naidu on opposition joining hands for nominating a presidential candidate. This statement has many aspects. First, it surely justifies the rise and rise of BJP and the reason behind its grand success in recent scenario of Indian politics.  Second, it reflects the hostile nature of our vice president elect whose sense of belongingness and loyalty to his party is quite strong and is clearly evident. Now, let's see what is the major role of a Vice President   ? To chair the Rajya Sabha , a house that James Madison (Father of American Constitution) described as the great anchor of the government and whose slower processes and higher thresholds for action would guard against the “fickleness and passion” of public opinion (passed in Lok Sabha ). So, this is a post that requires a person to be tact, a good diplomat...

Do you know why atomic bombs are most dangerous and dreaded of all? They implode i.e. collapse violently inwards. But what happens, if a person implodes ?  Let's find out! DIAL 'S' FOR SUICIDE ! For each adult who dies of suicide, there are 20 others attempting it. Acc. to WHO , close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year and there are many more who attempt it. What is Suicide ? The society takes this word seriously when a famous celebrity commits it. Latest example being Chester Bennington. It is defined as an act of intentionally causing one's own death. But how an organism as sensitive as human is able to take this extreme step? Who are these people? From where do they come? How do they gather so much courage to end their own life? The fact is, they don't come from any other planet. These are more ordinary people. They could be living in your home, working with you in the office, may be your friend,your sibling and you don't...