Racism... R U kiddin me????

I have idli-wada every day of the week, well almost, and crib that south indian food sucks every fourth day or so. I can assure you that every Indian staying away from his home cribs more or less in a similar vein whenever s/he is reminded of " Ma ke Haath ka Khana". Are we racially irresponsible? Do we disregard the cultural and culinary heritage of different places?

Whats happening... In a world so biased and so very quick to pounce on any slip-up of any variety why the hell is media playing the role of an un-needed moral police that hypes any celebrity sneeze into a national catastrophe of epidemic proportions? Every sort of celebrity, real or otherwise, is subjected to this intimidating scrutiny based on the sole purpose that they would slip once in a while. And; humane that they are, they actually do. But are we then as aware, alert global citizens really supposed to condemn them to public hatred of the highest disregard?

What got me ticked is this recent issue regarding Gibbs, regardign Shilpa Shetty, Regarding Dean Jones and all and sundry. I agree Dean Jones was at fault but what about Gibbs. Here is a guy getting racial crap from spectators, gets agitated and blurts out something inapporpriate to his team-mates unfortunately picked by the stump mike. Now, cross your hearts and tell me that never once has anyone of you blurted out racially provocative statements in the heat of the moment... never ever has any north-south-east-west indian comparison passed your lips... never ever have you wondered the stupidity behind racially charged words or phrases used in the USA or pittied the corruption levels in countries you look down upon.

We humans are biased towards a lot of things; caste, class , creed, religion, gender, race and what not. Not that it is a nice thing to do but we all indulge it as some level or another. Honestly, it should be condemned and the guilty reprimanded. However, alert citizens that we claim to be; should take things in proper prespective. Media is tryin to convert any and evry tit-bit into a circus and we shouldn't be mere spectators. Raising the voice is a right and we need to exercise , lest we convert our very own power tool (media) into an all-engulfing inferno.

Nostalgia

Friday evening... friends waiting at the PG for our regular over dose of bridge; wondering why life meanders while enjoying that hot sip of chai and puffing away to glory. Oddly, its been such an eclectic bunch of people clubbed together that their hasnt been enough time to glance over our collective pasts. The abscence of a drinking bunch can be a contributory cause too.

Today, I am nostalgic. I dont want to go back to my friends and tell them about my day. I wanna ponder about old times... Times when the only weight I carried was my own and not my worries. Times when black coffee was as important as blood in my life-line, when getting 37 to touch grace marks mattered more than the GDP growth rate.

It was triggered off by that awesomely historic Monday. My school, The University of Florida created history. We became the only school to win both NCAA basketball and BCS championship in same academic year and that too in routs. We kicked some big time ass and we were basking in that glory. The whole week after has been orange and blue...

Friends in orkut, sports website all remind me of that proud fact.. I am a Gator alumni...I have decked my home page, desktop evrything in memorabilia.... But more than the games and the sports culture, I am reliving the moments spent sipping beer watching Gators bite dust against Miami or the job shifts in preparation of those games.. Times have passed and memories are fading...

But then someday, Magical Mondays happen and they spread fragrance all over your cobwebed memoirs....