I Love Tagore...

My most favorite words out of Tagore's billions..

It decks me only to mock me, this jewelled chain of mine. It bruises me when on my neck, it strangles me when I struggle to tear it off. It grips my throat, it chokes my singing. Could I but offer it to your hand, my Lord, I would be saved. Take it from me, and in exchange bind me to you with a garland, for I am ashamed to stand before you with this jewelled chain on my neck.

- No. XI of Fruit Gathering by Rabindranath Tagore, 1916.

Visualisation shot on 12/07/2009.

A little more of Tagore's is in my photostream.

Indian Lady...

My big boss does not like loud music. Which mother does, anyway?

The past weekend had in itself one of those rare evenings which I get for myself। On my own and no chare that can't wait. Rarer is my mood to check on the volume controls of my home theatre.

So, given the time and mood for some blaring music (that's an oxymoron?), I played an old collection of foot-tapping numbers. In fact, I did more than tapping my foot. My heels ached till next afternoon from my dancing-to-glory.

Long after the music and dance and ahces are over, my cranial jukebox is still playing Remo Fernandez's song...

Indian lady, you've come a long way baby...
भारतीय नारी अंडे से बहार तू निकली..
இந்தியப்பெண்மணி இமயம் தொட்டுவிட்ட ராணி நீ...

This song is almost a decade old.

Much ancient is the Lord's Song:

कीर्ती: श्रीर्वाक च नारीणां स्मृतिर्मेधा धृतिः क्षमा

(Bhagvad Gita 10:34)

Keerti - fame, Shree - wealth/beauty, Vak-perfect speech, Smriti-memory, Medha-intellect, Dhriti-patience, Kshama-compassion.

The 10th Chapter as such contains loads of proclamations by Krishna declaring His presence in the best of each thing in this universe - for example - of the rivers He is the Ganges, of the animals He is the lion and so on. In this verse, Krishna lists 7 of the best qualities of womankind.

Women are indeed special. And, Indian lady...let's look at this list:

• Pratiba Patil - President of India


• Meira Kumar - Speaker of the Lok Sabha


• Nirupama Rao - Foreign Secretary


• Mamta Banerjee - Minister of Railways


• Tessy Thomas - Director of Missile Project


• Indira Jaising - Additional Solicitor General

Not bad...At all. But why 20,000 rapes? What is the logic behind the tilt? And that is only the number of reported cases of circa 2008...Why women are looked upon as consumable substance? Why not as women of substance?