Perspectives and perceptions

(This post was stuck in my drafts since 2008! Horrifying really. :) I haven't made any edits to the original post) I haven't attempted to talk about Kobe sizzlers there, it's hobe which is a form of the verb "to be" :) It's just been the end of a beautiful vacation right in the middle of hectic schedules and bang in the middle of a week! We left on tuesday evening and were back on saturday morning.. that's what i call a beautiful weekday trip! Breaking the monotony, experiencing a new city, and eating some different food! Bliss! We reached calcutta around 8 pm on tuesday and we (my friend and i) took a pre-paid taxi to gariahat bus stop. We just barely managed to cross the HUGE junction circle literally crossing one road at a time much like crossing a hexagon or an octagon! :D We had dinner at this Chinese place, had soup, momo's and the likes. Then we headed towards the host's home and we sat down to gel with him, his family and his

I'm sick and tired of firecrackers! It's always the same story, whether it's Ganeshotsav, Durga Puja, Navratri, Diwali.... I don't understand when the concept of sparklers and anars changed to atom bombs, laxmi bombs and laddis... Why must a child, boys, or anybody even want to crack these crackers?! To what pleasure? To whose liking? For whom? Why must we attempt to stimulate the terror and horror that real terrorists shower upon us? Why must we tune our lives to their sounds? Why should our Diwali be shrouded with sounds and bangs of horrifyingly loud crackers? Is it that big a nexus that the Govt. cannot simply ban the crackers and the allied sound items?! What sort of a Government are we living in? In my school, 10 years ago, we were taught about how entirely harmful crackers are, not just as a product but also as a means... child labour is used to produce crackers, the crackers cause noise pollution, air pollution, land pollution, and yet we continue and allow thei