Children of the Age

I have my own channel. And a news paper. And a magazine. My own media network. I can be heard. Be seen. And read.I can inspire. Collaborate. Communicate. Even conspire. With almost the entire World. When did ever a Person had so much power? Is there any doubt in your mind, that you do not live in incredible times?


It is interesting, if you observe, how power has been created through the Internet. The cynic in you might say that the Power resides with the ones who own the Telecom Companies, the Fiber Optic Cables, Social Media Platforms and Smartphone companies. But, they are in the business because we, the citizens of this modern, global, all pervading civilisation NEED power. We wanted the POWER to write, to photograph, to videograph, to broadcast , to sing our songs, to beat our drums so that it can be heard. The provider and the reciever are both empowered, this is a win-win situation.


There is an overpowering urge for it, we want more. It will only grow, and get stronger. Our voices are going to get louder. And there will be consequences. There already are some who are afraid of us wielding so much power. And they are going to try and take it away from us. But I will be damned if I let that happen. So will you. Can you let anyone take away the air you breathe? The water you drink? The earth that you walk on? Or the Sun that lights up your life? Never. And I believe this Power is going to be that fundamental to us, if you do not think it is already.


The Internet is evolving into a fundamental right of sorts. And it has the power to esnure that all your other rights are not encroached upon. I am blessed, to be aware and alive in the World of today, inspite of all its shortcomings. I am grateful, to be a Child of the Internet Age. Long Live the Inter Network.

A modern day Warrior Poet

The following is an excerpt from an article published in the Times of India , "Traffic park as entertainment avenue and khau galli. Why not?"  .

Santosh Pandey, who writes under the pen name of Badal, is a cop with a difference. He wields both, the cane and pen with elan. A head constable at the Kotwali division, Pandey's two latest compilations - 'Priayadarshini' and 'Beti' - is ready for release on the occasion of the International Women's Day and the programmes associated with it.

'Priyadarshini ' is based on the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi while 'Beti' is on the evils of the female infanticide. Pandey also has eight other titles published and an equal number ready for publication.

The cop has authored books on myriad subjects ranging from childhood and its innocence to dowry and its evil affects. Among the awards that Pandey has won includes the ministry of environment and forest's 'Medini Puraskar Yojana' in 2008, Maharashtra State Hindi Sahitya Academy's Sohanlal Dwivedi award in 2009 and many others.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q. What made you choose the subjects for 'Priyadarshini' and 'Beti'?

A. Indiraji's life, on which 'Priyadarshini' is based upon, had always intrigued me, especially during my visits to her ancestral place Anand Bhavan in Allahabad. There was an unexplained force that used to always drive me every time I visited the place. 'Beti' was an outcome of a Sadhvi Rithambhara sermon. I had often championed the cause of environment and female infanticide as a social worker. My duty as a policeman also helped me to realize the pain when a female baby is found abandoned or discarded. Also, I am a father of a daughter which also helped me to express my turmoil.

Q. Have you experimented in the new books?

A. They are simple, easy and understandable. I did not have a scholastic approach but rather ensured that message reaches deep within the society. Often a poet is confronted by the challenge of sending his message to the masses cutting across the cross-section of the society and I wanted to achieve just that rather than experiment with forms and patterns.

Q. Is there any controversial episode in 'Priyadarshini'?

A. I have consciously steered clear of any controversies. I do not have any intention of getting entangled in controversies. Healthy debates are OK, but not controversies. One should not drag controversies into literature.

Q. Is there any aspect or episode in the life of Indiraji that left you intrigued?

A. There have been several, each one fascinating. But, there was one period in her life that I feel shaped her into what she was in the later part of life. In her school days, Indiraji had formed an active unit of youngsters, labelling it as 'Monkey Brigade', who would act as couriers between satyagrahis during the Independence struggle and help in exchange of vital information by dodging the information networks of the British. This underlined her intense patriotism and unquestionable leadership quality which reflected in the later part of her life.

Q. How do you balance your job as a cop and poet?

A. My job as a policeman has given me an intriguing opportunity to delve into those arenas of life which I would not have got had I been working elsewhere. Various issues, different facets of our society and human life unfurl before me while I am attending my duty. This department is more of a social organization and government pays us salaries for this noble work which I do dutifully. When I am not a policeman, I am a poet and author. I devote most of my leisure time to literature. There are no other distractions in my life.

Q. When are you planning to write about your colleagues?

A. A collection of 120 poetries 'Police: Ek Kavi' is slated to hit the stands soon. In this book, my 25 years' experience and observations as a cop have been brought out in the form of poetry.

Q. Does being a government employee create any hurdles for you as poet?

A. The creative pursuit of an author or poet finds its expression wherever there is a thrust for it. Police or any other department's disciplinary restrictions cannot bind creative energies which flow despites hurdles. My books have been mostly released by our seniors in the department who have also encouraged me.

Q. What is your motivation?

A. The ambience at home is very crucial for a creative person. It is very important to enjoy support from one's family. My sole inspiration was the Late Mahadevi Verma who was an extraordinary Hindi poet and freedom fighter. I had once composed a parody of her celebrated work and she was impressed with it. It was she who had christened me as 'Badal'.

Knol Nugget

1.Procrastination by John Kelly

2. Social Impact Bond : A Social Impact Bond, also known as a Pay for Success Bond, is a contract with the public sector in which a commitment is made to pay for improved social outcomes that result in public sector savings. The expected public sector savings are used as a basis for raising investment for prevention and early intervention services that improve social outcomes.
Social Impact Bonds are not bonds in the conventional sense. While they operate over a fixed period of time, they do not offer a fixed rate of return. Repayment to investors is contingent upon specified social outcomes being achieved and therefore in terms of investment risk Social Impact Bonds are more similar to that of an equity investment.

3. Power : Organized and intelligently directed knowledge

4. Tales of Mere Existence by Lev Yilmaz

Who is a Mother ?

I think Motherhood is NOT the defining feature of Womanhood, but one of the many defining features. But who is a Mother? Is she a woman who gave birth to a child, and then raised it? Yes, if you go by how a dictionary defines her. But something as great as motherhood should not be constrained by the biological act of giving birth, however noble and painful it maybe. A mother is a woman who offers love that is pure as it can ever be and that comes from the spring of her soul. A mother is the one who sacrifices very selflessly and very willingly. A mother nurtures Life, like nothing else does. But, it is not just the child that she bore which brings out the Mother in a woman. The object of her love can be anyone, her child, a child, a friend , a family member, even a complete stranger. It could quite possibly be a dog, a cat, or any other pet, or even an idea or a belief. What makes her a Mother is the way she loves what she loves. That, I believe is Motherhood. And women start being mothers from a very early age, don't they?

p.s. And this, is my hundredth post :)

Becoming Superhuman

"Of all the superheroes in popular culture, I’ve always been most drawn to Batman. While many superheroes come by their superpowers through genetic blessing or freakish accident, Batman is a regular guy who gained his superhuman abilities on his own. He studied science, perfected his body, sharpened his mind and powers of deduction, and utilized technology. He became superhuman through his own effort, adding to his powers element by element"

Seriously. Batman is SO possible.

The Whole Man

Becoming superhuman involves reaching for ever greater heights in all areas of our lives: physical, mental, moral, and spiritual.

The average man spends his days as a sedentary lump; the superhuman man strives to keep himself in peak physical condition.

The average man rarely cracks open a book after college; the superhuman man is dedicated to lifelong learning, constantly feeding his mind with books, magazines, and newspapers and studying a wide variety of topics.

The average man cheats and fudges here and there; the superhuman man makes his word his bond and lives every day with integrity.

The average man is content with surface pleasures and material goods; the superhuman man explores the greater depths of life through meditation or prayer.


Well, the author defined superhuman-ness for a Man . It is my unequivocal belief that this is what a Superman is, and more importantly, through persistence and determination, we can get closer to it every day. Now, Let me define superhuman-ness for a Woman in a different way, albeit what the author says is applicable in its entirety to women as well.

The average woman is NOT a feminist . The Superwoman fights for her soul's right to breathe relentlessly, tirelessly and fearlessly. 

The average women rarely questions why Men are so hell bent upon controlling her, why Societal traditions mostly favor men and why is she perceived more as an object and less as a human . The Superwoman is hell bent upon annihilating anything and everything that challenges her right to be a  free and independent spirit .

The average women adjusts, and compromises and builds up her endurance for abuse . The Superwoman fights , ferociously . Whether it is mental or physical, the battles are long-drawn-out, hard and courageously won by her.  

The average woman lets some spineless, worthless, pseudo-masculine and inherently insecure excuse for a man dominate her. The Superwoman is indomitable.

The average woman probably does not know what balls are . In all likelihood, she has been taught that sex is sinful( unless she gets married ), and that her body should be cloaked modestly because - If an extremely horny man is turned on by looking at her anterior or posterior and decides to molest/rape her, she would be tainted and forever held responsible because she, in the first place should have magically transformed into an ugly, toothless,stinking man before the red-blooded men had a chance to lust at her. 

The Superwoman knows what balls are, and how they can be used as a terrific weapon, against men, bringing down the most masculine and mightiest of them on their knees withing seconds. She also knows that sex is neither sinful nor unnatural, but rather a genuine need which is to be take care of by her in the way she deems fit. And most importantly, she is never ever ashamed of her body, of the way she has been designed by Mother Nature, of the way she talks or walks, and she knows that it is her and her curvaceous body alone, which cradles Life .

The average woman is content to play the roles that the Society imposes upon her. She willingly believes in the virtues of marriage, virginity, motherhood, superiority of males and her own subservience to them . She never questions why she is supposed to be NOT good at Mathematics, Driving or Technology . She favors a life of cloaked security over open rebellion . And she gives beauty much more , than is due to it . 

The Superwoman is openly defiant and rebellious. She is exceedingly difficult to handle or to control, as a child, as a wife, as a sister, a daughter, an employee or as a citizen. She is demanding and vehemently outspoken . She is a die hard feminist. She knows she not inferior to any damn one . She has a beautiful and brilliant mind, and is the master of her own body. She is great at what she wants to be good at. She immensely values the beauty of the mind and the soul ,a lot more than the beauty that is merely skin deep. She loses her virginity because it is her's, in the first place. She marries because she needs a Life partner. She is not vessel for harvesting some capon's seed ! She is a mother because she is so full of Love and affection, that it cannot but manifest into a pristine and lovely child . The Superwoman kicks ass ! The Superwoman lives her Life .

The Superwoman and the Superman, complement each other, make one complete whole . They constitute Life .
 

p.s. The word average here does not imply that most women behave or act that way. Rather, it is just a way to represent the norm, which can be observed in many instances .

The source of the content in italics : Becoming superhuman in 2011