So
here it is my first blog post. It has been a long time since this blog has
been created but there has been no post. Procrastination is the word; I
have to...have to improve on my time management skills. But am I the one to
blame? It has been three years since I have been living in the GREAT
BRITAIN!!! While I have adapted to most of the British habits,... even my
Indian tongue has become British, I am not talking about an accent (which I
would love to have but three years and my accent is still neutral....err
slightly cockney-ish), I am talking about my perception of taste. While I
still enjoy a spicy curry (see that’s British, we Indians do not call all
our dishes curry), ok let’s just call it a spicy dish. Although I do love a
spicy dish that would make my eyes tear and my tongue burning, now a dish
does not have to have spices for me to think it is tasty. I first realised this when in an Emirates
flight back to India I was served Mediterranean Chicken...which was
surprisingly a pleasure for my tongue (we all know what air plane foods are
like), and I said to my father “ This is amazing”, to which my father’s
response was “ Haan lekin thoda bland tha” (Loosely translated, had less flavour).
I
got lost, the point I was trying to make was, even though I have adapted to
most of the habits of being British, I still am an Indian when it comes to
time management. There are a certain things I never did in my life before
and now that I have have to do them, it consumes a lot of my time, like
cooking every single meal of the day, doing the dishes afterwards, making
my bed, cleaning my house, doing my laundry. I do not hate doing them (BUT
the day seems shorter because of things like these), I rather enjoy it, it
makes me feel proud especially when I remember back in India...growing up
when I used to be lazy and dependent on my mother from getting food to my
table, to keeping the dishes back, my mother used to whine “Hey
Bhagwaan...ye ladka kab seekhega”. And it was always clear, that I would be
studying outside of India, but weeks before my departure date, there were
things to learn, from cooking, to ironing my clothes and when I struggled with ironing (I am an
excellent cook) my mother used to look at me and say “ Padhai bhi hai, aur
yeh sabh bhi karna hai.....KARLEGA ?”. But I will be managing my time better
and be more regular. There have been so many thoughts and ideas that have
been lost somewhere in my brain, I just wish I had written it down on my
blog and put it out there. Time to do it!!! So here is my first post which
I am not sure is the correct way of starting my blog, as it can be
controversial, and maybe I should have started with something
light....BUT....as I am known for my Devil May Care nature....here it is.
Couple
of days back, a beer company was in the news for naming there brand Kali
Maa Beer (A Hindu Goddess, a Demon Slayer) with an image of the Goddess on
the bottle. Hindus felt hurt followed by protests resulting in apology by
the company and re branding of beer (it was nice of them and branding was
unintentional and rather innocent). The whole thing did not upset or
angered me, but there was a particular post by an idiot Rohit Vats on IBN
Live Blog titled
The
article asks Indians/Hindus to stop complaining over trivial issues and how
Indians exaggerated when Jim Carey demonstrated a sexual technique with
trunk of Lord Ganesh, and that the westerners adore Kali Ma more than us
Indians. Personally, I do not have
the problem with branding and imagery on the beer, even though I am a
Hindu. At the same time I can understand, why certain people would have a
problem with it. Spiritual or religious Hindus who are pious and might not
even consume alcohol might find it immoral and offensive. Being a consumer
of alcohol, I know in pubs and/or clubs how bottles are treated, rolled
out, thrown, trashed and recycled, and I think it is perfectly normal for
Hindus to prevent an object with a religious figure on it, to be treated
like that. Growing up, our parents, teachers even the constitution has
taught us that the right of freedom is a right until it impedes with
someone else’s freedom and rights.
So
I disagree with you Mr. Vats and feel it is perfectly rational for people
to take religion on a serious note. I mean if you look at it, so far only a
small population of western Christians have been tolerant enough to take
religious jokes as jokes (I am referring to Jesus and Mary jokes made in
popular American shows such as South Park and movies such as Hamlet 2) and
I applaud there outlook. But not everybody is like that. If the beer
brewers named the bottle with something associated with Islamic religious
ideology, fatwa(s) would have been issued. Thankfully, in the news I have
read, people have not been violent. I agree that the brewery was innocent
and named it out of fascination and exotic nature of the name and Goddess
(suiting the exotic flavours of beer, which I would like to try), but just
because a community does not take violent stances every time, it does not
mean that there religious sentiments should not be taken seriously.
And
thankfully that is why; the brewery has apologised to us and will be
rebranding and re-launching the brand. A little more market research by the
company would have prevented the loss and delayed launch, which is a result
of this issue.
And
I do not think that we Indian adore the Goddess less, if unlike Heidi Klum,
we have never gone to a night club dressed as Kali-Ma, as we not only adore
her, but fear and respect her. I am sure that no-body could stop me, to go
anywhere dressed as Lord Shiva, but out of respect and awe, I would not do
so, not because I do not adore him.
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