PRESIDENT’S NOTE

Adding to the accomplishments of NATIONAL SERVICE

SCHEME, I feel proud at successful completion and release of its

newsletter, PEHAL VOL. 2. The theme of the newsletter is quite

mind-boggling and puts up many questions on the various realities

of our society! The content of the newsletter is really inspirational

and it urges us all to always portray our true selves. Congratulations

to the Editorial team for this amazing work. Keep the efforts up!!

EDITOR’S NOTE

‘Pehal’ is really an exceptional platform to put forward diverse

views, thoughts and opinions on the issues that confront us all.

This newsletter unfolds the various aspects of our society which

are hypocritical i.e. JANUS FACED. It will surely take the readers

through a roller-coaster ride of ‘introspection’ and would be an

eye-opener to many.

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Creative and

Technical team of NSS for their support and contribution.

Congratulations to the Editorial Team 2015-2016. Keep up the

upward trend!! HAVE A GOOD AND A HAPPY READ!!

CO-EDITOR’S NOTE

Hypocrisy is often said to be a tribute that Vice pays to Virtue. We

all are hypocrites and we do not know it. We all witness hypocrisy

around us but seldom pay heed to it. The world around us is

JANUS FACED, covering its dual faceted personality under multi-

layered masks. So, does hypocrisy hurt the well-being of society at

large? Does this negatively deemed word have a positive side to it?

PEHAL. VOL.2 helps in answering some of these questions.

Happy Reading :)

Do you Practice what you Preach? -Himanshu Ahuja

We stand against corruption? - Madhurima Khosla

Illustration by: - Nisha Yadav

It was 7 in the morning. Mr. Desai's eyes opened to the knock at the door of his room.

"Come in!”, he replied robotically without even moving from his position, his mind still in the morning

daze.

Lata, his daughter- in- law, entered the room with a cup of tea and placing it on the side table, touched

his feet and greeted him morning. Mr. Desai raised his hand in gesture of a blessing and she left. He

turned to the other side in bed and saw the white cup. Morning tea never tempted him during the

summers. Just as he was contemplating to sleep

again, his eyes fell on the table calendar. A date

was encircled in red and it seemed to him now

as if that red circle gaped at him reproachfully.

In another moment, he sat upright on his bed

startled and disappointed with himself. How

could he be so forgetful? "5th April 2011"the

date was so sacred for him. Ever since he had

heard in news about the hunger strike against

corruption at Ramlila Maidan, he had been

waiting for the eventful day. He had started

idolizing each and every member of the team of

social activists after listening to them on television, speaking vehemently against corruption. Most of

them were young, but they spoke with zest and enthusiasm and in their eyes, Mr. Desai saw a blazing

fire of revolution quite similar to the one he had seen years ago, when he was a part of the freedom

struggle as a kid. At that moment, listening to the youngsters requesting for support, he had resolved in

his heart to join the hunger strike.

He quickly finished his tea and got out of the bed to get ready. Ever since his wife's death, his life had

been dull and mundane , with each day being similar to the previous one. The whole anti-corruption

movement had brought much excitement to the old man's life. The hunger strike, if successful, would

lead to passing of the anti-corruption bill, an enormous step towards a corruption free nation and Mr.

Desai could not wait to be a part of such a historic event.

Mohan Desai had always been a patriot and was never at a loss of voicing his political opinions. With

great wisdom and fervor, he would relate tales from the freedom struggle to his children and

grandchildren; and would beam with pride whenever he used to tell them about his involvement in the

activities as a twelve year old boy. He now waited for the day when he would engage others by telling

them how corruption was eating away the nation and it would have been successful, had it not been for

a few thoughtful people to have the courage to stand against the system.

By 8, he had finished his breakfast and was all ready to go when he was warned by his son. Mr. Desai

was an old man and one could never be sure how things would turn out at these occasions. If not of

anything, his son was afraid that his father's old and fragile body was not strong enough to handle the

force of an agitated crowd.

"Besides father", he added "your excitement, I am sorry to say, is futile. Such movements are a sham.

They are never successful. "

"And they will never be, if educated people like you sit at home quietly." With these last words, he left

home.

*

Mr. Desai was impressed as he moved towards the entry gate. It was 9:30 and a huge crowd had already

gathered. There were college students, office workers, house wives and aged people like him. From a

distance, he could see the stage and the team of activists. "We stand against corruption", slogans were

being shouted by the people all over. Many of them were wearing caps with the slogan printed on them.

A feeling of pride pervaded his heart. He was so overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm around him that

for a moment, he pitied his own son. With an enthused heart, he moved ahead to stand in one of the

entry queues where there were a few people, when a guard stopped him

"And where do you think you are going, old fellow?"

"To Maidan." Mr. Desai smirked at the futility of the question.

The man was surely not impressed and replied in a rough tone. "Well then, move away from here and

join the other line. Can't you see this place is not meant for you?" he pointed to a board above which

the old eyes had missed “FOR VIPs”, it read.

Mr. Desai was puzzled. He glanced at the queues to his right. People were pushing and pulling each

other with the youngsters even jumping over the others to reach the security check first that lead to

Maidan. While to his left, he could neither see a crowd nor a security check.

"Didn't you hear me? Move out of this line." the man's voice was harsher this time.

With a doleful look, Mr. Desai changed lines. From where he stood, he saw that not only the queue

but even Ramlila Maidan had been bifurcated. While being pushed forward in the line, he saw in a

small corner, a tent being put up. He stopped another guard and made enquiries.

"That is where the snacks are going to be cooked."

"Snacks!" , Mr. Desai nearly screamed. "But, this is a hunger strike!" he said, appalled.

"Relax, old man. It is not for the activists. Many businessmen and VIPs are here. Some of them have

even funded this movement. They must be looked after." he winked and walked away.

Mr. Desai no longer felt any push or stroke. His eyes were fixed at the tent and occasionally he lifted

them to see the VIP area, while his mind rolled back to a different time in his life. He saw the picture

of a boy burning English clothes. A slight frown appeared on his forehead. He was straining his mind,

trying to recall if there were two heaps. Maybe the rich and the poor the, burnt different ones and the

eyes of a twelve year old had missed the most crucial information. He came back to the present as he

felt somebody groping his body. He had reached the security check but didn't move forward. Chairs

were now being brought to the VIP zone.

"Sir, please move." Mr. Desai did move but never entered the gate. The man quietly turned and started

moving from where he had come.

A Facade!! - A. Swathi

Illustration by: - Sakshi Kumari

Nobody in this world is perfect. Every person has some or the other flaws in him. But, it is human

mentality to blame and criticize everyone and everything, even before thinking if we ourselves follow

what we are preaching.

Hypocrisy is something we all show in our conduct. Everyday we have an encounter with it in some

form or the other, without even noticing it.

We are all guilty of it, but we seem unable to acknowledge it. Our society loves to narrow in on people

and calls them out for doing what they said they would never do. Once that finger is turned and

pointed at us, we panic.

Starting with the most common piece of advice we give to almost everyone: Never drive fast or cross

the speed limit. But do we ourselves follow this advice when we are getting late? Of course not! This is

most certainly an act of hypocrisy. We might not realize it sometimes that we are acting like hypocrites,

but we do.

Another major issue plaguing our country is that of poverty. All political parties have poverty

elimination as one of the major issues in their manifesto. We all talk about it as an extremely serious

issue which has to eliminated as soon as possible, but we hardly take any step towards it, not even as

small as donating the leftover food at home to the poor people. And the worst thing is the amount of

food and other resources that are wasted during weddings and other ceremonies! Economics says that

resources are scarce and should be put to the best alternative use .So, the paradox of the situation here

is that, the best use of the scarce food resource is to have a lavish buffet for those who are already filled

to the brink rather than a square meal for those who toil hard and even find it harder to earn it. Just

talking about an issue does not eliminate the issue.

Now, the most common line that each one of us has told somebody in our life is “Never tell lies!”

Whether the person is younger or elder to us, we make sure that we give this piece of advice to

everyone. And what do we do, when we are in some difficult situation? Just conveniently tell a lie and

escape from the situation or sometimes it becomes a vicious circle of lies that is difficult to escape from.

Here is something at which each and every one of us must be ashamed of. When we go abroad, we

make sure that we follow all the rules and regulations of the country and that we try to behave in a

dignified manner when we are there. But, when we come back to India, we forget all the civic sense and

not care about our surroundings and the environment we live in. People spit and litter at all the public

places and create nuisance because they know that there is nobody to penalize them. Isn’t this

hypocrisy?

These are just a few instances that happen in our everyday life. We can expect people around us to be

disciplined and well behaved only when we ourselves behave in that manner. Just criticizing others is an

easy task, but when we ourselves are put under that questioning light, do we realize our own faults and

mistakes? Hence, it is high time when we must stop being hypocrites by incorporating some small

changes in our everyday life and once we are done correcting ourselves, it is our duty to rectify others!!

Not all know what it is.. -Ankita V. Parikh

Illustration by: - Shreya Jain

Walking down the aisle,

Eyes glaring at me,

Checking me from top to bottom,

Whispers all around the courtroom,

Thinking about my deeds,

Talking about my character,

Minds all prepared to attack me,

Attack me with their words now,

All prepared to prove me guilty,

To send me nowhere,

But behind those bars.

Not all know,how it is like,

Not all know,why it is like that,

Not all know,the reason behind it,

Not all know,the situation I was in,

Not all know,the courage I needed,

To protect myself,

That one night.

That one night,

Where once again I was there,

On that bed,

Ready to sell off my body,

To yet another stranger,

Whom I didn’t know,

Prepared to go through the pain again,

Ready to survive another attack,

On my soul.

Hardly, did I know,

That one night,

Where I stood in a pool of blood,

With that lamp stand in my head,

Looking at the man who tried,

Tried not to kill my body,

But to choke my soul.

Groping for breath,

Reaching out his hand for mercy,

But all I remember of that night,

Is,

The last bang on his head,

That killed him.

Today, I stand in the witness box,

The judge deciding my fate,

To punish me or hang me,

Because I was guilty,

Not for killing the one who attacked me,

But for selling my body,

Which was a bigger crime.

Imprisoned for long years,

To spend my life behind those iron bars,

My independence coming to an end,

My body imprisoned,

But my soul freed.

Not all know, what it is to be the one,

The one whom everyone calls,

A prostitute!

Widow of a Martyr!

-Ravija Sharma

The clothes drip,

Plim plom plunk plunk,

The water weighs it down,

But it weighs heavier,

On the widow wrapped in them!

The bangles break,

Chnn chnn tunn tunn,

The broken glass cuts her hand,

But it hurts more,

In her soul as she wipes off her sindur!

The tricolor flag ruffles in the pyre,

Phris phras huss hiss,

The fire burns through it,

But it burns stronger,

In the widow’s eyes as she fights back proud tears!

The footsteps ricochet in the empty house,

Thud thud skit skat,

The baby kicks for the first time,

But there is only a photo of the martyr husband,

To share the news with and the widow finally lets go the reins,

On her grief filled tears!

The truth that hid behind a veil..

-Fathima Rezwan

Illustration by: - Nitya Mittal

The warrior stretched her hand and let it touch its old mate.

Both had shared a life together, translating fate into history:

Her hand met her silver sword, making polite conversations marvelling

At their wounded past, stained by bloody nights and silent sacrifices.

She knelt down, tightly grasping the weapon that

spoke.

That had always shielded her darkness, that had

saved her pride

In all those battles. Waging away in blind rage for

honour among men.

A faithful servant, a graceful shadow and now, it

spoke for the devil.

The darkening bloodstain on her sword made her

shiver, for once.

Shiver with the realization that hit her hard.

What was she fighting for anymore?

Her rage became fear that tasted like remorse and looked like regret

Time changed its color like an expert hypocrite,

sneering at her foolishness without mercy.

Alas, her insanity was too young to know,

Her sword too eager for caution. She moved away her veil

And let the tears scream the truth, staining

The bloodstain, cleansing her soul;

Feeling the ground beneath her feet shift in its ways.

In a now; time wanted her to wager for the supremacy, standing at shoulder

With men was looking back at honour,

As to when standing tall was the double-faced deal.

That the devil wanted her to trade for her soul for. Did she believe in her fight anymore? True.

She had vowed to defeat her fears,

But her fears changed when honour became power

With the colors of time that hid many shades of truth

within its masked shadows. Time was an expert hypocrite;

With one warrior killed, it fed another’s sword.

Do Only Men Pollute? -Sugandh Bhatia

Illustration by :- Vaishali

As everyone knows, New Delhi the pollution capital of the world is facing a major question as to

‘HOW TO REDUCE POLLUTION??’ The State

government after having consultation with its team of

“highly educated and talented” leaders came to a

conclusion that : - Cars driven by women and cars that

only have women occupants or cars driven by women

wherein the male companion is below 12 cannot

pollute the beautiful, historic and eminent state ‘New

Delhi’. Bummer for men, eh? All the men of New

Delhi wished if they were also capable of not polluting

the state, but according to the rule they do.

Now, for all those who weren`t in Delhi or are unaware; and as a recap of the “15 Days Trial of Odd-

Even Formula”, the following information will provide you with all the necessary details ; and rules and

regulations that were required to be followed within those 15 days of only men polluting New Delhi.

What: Restriction on cars. Those with registration numbers ending in odd digits will be allowed to ply

on odd dates and those ending in even digits will run on even dates.

When: Between January 1 and January 15. Sundays are free for all

Timing: 8am to 8pm

Fine: On the spot Challan of INR 2,000 but no impounding of vehicles

Why: To curb air pollution and road congestion on Delhi roads.

Who was exempt?

CNG and electric cars - CNG cars will have to get a hologram sticker from IGL pumping stations and

display them prominently on their cars’ windshields.

Two-wheelers – Have been kept out as the government doesn’t have the requisite public transport

facilities to become a viable alternative.

Women - Cars driven by women and cars that only have women occupants. Cars driven by women

wherein the male companion is below 12.

Vehicles being used for medical emergencies (trust based)

Vehicles involving VVIP cars, emergency services and enforcement vehicles

President; Vice-president; Prime Minister; Governors; Chief Justice; Speaker of Lok Sabha; Union

ministers; Leaders of Opposition (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha); Chief ministers of states and Union

Territories (except those in Delhi); Supreme Court judges; Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha;

Deputy speaker of Lok Sabha; Lieutenant governors of Union Territories; Delhi High Court judges;

Lokayukta

Emergency vehicles: Ambulances, fire brigade trucks, hospital, prison,

Enforcement vehicles: Police, Delhi transport department, authorised by Delhi Divisional

Commissioner, paramilitary forces

Vehicles with ministry of defence number plates, Vehicles with a pilot/escort, Vehicles of SPG

protectees

Embassy vehicles with CD numbers

Who were supposed to follow?

All petrol and diesel vehicles

Cars from outside Delhi: All diesel and petrol cars, irrespective of where they are coming from, will

have to follow the rules.

Diesel and petrol taxis: Most of these are attached to taxi aggregators such as Ola and Uber and will

have to follow the odd-even rule till they get converted to CNG vehicles,

Delhi Chief Minister, Delhi’s ministers and MLAs.

The odd-even car formula has also been experimented within Paris and Beijing. Cities like Mexico

City, Sao Paolo, London, Athens, Singapore, Tehran, San José, etc. have also implemented this

formula in an attempt to mitigate severe air pollution.

Albeit, the odd-even formula is the need of the hour, hypocritical rules such as Non-VIP’s and men

can only pollute is a shameful thing for our society. Although women safety is a big concern, it`s wrong

to give them a pass at the environment, with all due respect and concern for women.

Not only women have been given a pass during this odd-even formula but also by reserving a coach for

them in Delhi Metro; now the demand also prevails for three coaches being reserved for women in an

eight coach Metro. The odd-even formula has raised many questions on the equality of men and

women and has turned out to be a bigtime ‘Hypocrisy’ confronting our society. Basically, with all the

people shouting ‘men and women are equal’ and then giving them reservation and exemptions, points

out to only one thing; “You don’t practice, what you Preach!!”.

Affectation -Aroma

Hypocrisy is not merely a rare discussion in our country. It is ingrained in our society that it is

perceived as the way of LIFE. The cycle starts from the birth of the child to his adulthood. We, Indians

believe in something, say something, expect something else and do something completely different

from the rest. DOUBLE STANDARDS run in our blood.

Let's start with our society. What does a society comprise of? We people, as a whole, are society. We

all hold liberal and intellectual opinions when it comes to our personal interests. We definitely boast

about our ancient, elite, elegant and royal culture but never hold a glance at the condition of our

country in this 21st century. Tourists visit our country because they are attracted towards the diversified

culture and spirituality that hold our nation together. But, we Indians never realise, what is draining and

damaging our country is a bunchful of douche bags that are always benefitted by disturbing the

historical beauty of our monuments. Indians try to act very smart, intelligent and proud of what they

have but they sometimes brag so much, forgetting the disaster they are about to cause by making false

statements. A recent accident took place in Pune where two foreigners (one man and woman) were

gang raped and hanged by a tree until death. This is the kind of security our country is offering to the

tourists. Trapped in the curse of insecurity and discomfort, female foreigners have to face a lot of

difficulties as tourists in our nation. Still, we rank ourselves as a very safe and secured country but, at

the same time we forget to respect these women. In the name of Police, we have a few officials who are

always ready to help but a majority are those who don't care!! BUT,WE CALL ‘INDIA’ - A PROUD

NATION.

We definitely have a hike in our BALANCE OF PAYMENTS when tourists visit India but what we

give them in return is shadows of insecurity, fraudulent conduct, improper health facilities, pollution ...

and the list is never ending! TAJ MAHAL is one of the Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World and

we can see the condition of the legacy and the surrounding areas. The Government is taking every

possible measure to make improvements but it is the mindset of the people that needs to be changed.

It is our duty to make our country a better place to live in. The destruction of our nation’s monuments

by the citizens of the country is a shameful act. The ill-treatment of foreigners in our country is actually

a blot on our nation’s image. So, if we are really proud of our nation’s culture, we must abide by its

values; if we boast of our country’s beautiful monuments, we must take action to preserve them. And

above all, 'ATITHI DEVO BHAVA' needs to be understood and inculcated ; and its importance in

the life of every Indian should be utmost!!

Shades of Hypocrisy -Stuti Mohan

Illustration by:- Sakshi Kumari

Human beings are very situational creatures .They adapt very quickly to the changing environment and

tend to engage in those practices which best fit their interests. Today, everyone is trying to grind its own

axe and wearing a mask below a mask, hiding the true identity. We see the “double standard” or

“hypocrisy” quickly engulfing the society.

“Hockey” is our national sport but it rarely gets our support. There

is always a pro-cricket wave in our country that we hardly get time to

pay heed to other sports. The paradox of the situation is that cricket

players are celebrities, endorsing brands and earning huge sums of

money whereas other sports players like kabaddi, wrestling, etc.

sometimes even find it hard to make their both ends meet. The

most saddening incidences suggest that some sports players are even

forced to sell their medals to support their living. Again revisiting the

popularity of cricket, it is only the male’s team that has got the

nation’s support whereas the female team is still far from limelight

even after performing as well as their male counterparts. Can you

name the captain of the women’s cricket team? Only a handful

could answer that, depicting the simple state of hypocrisy.

Let us now turn to Film Industry-one of the most talked about and interest –seeking industries. There

is always an attempt to create a “sin-free” cinema and censor board is also appointed for that purpose.

Before the start of any film, there is always a statutory warning-“drinking alcohol is injurious to health,

smoking kills or tobacco causes cancer”. But the question arises that if these are not good for

consumption, why to show them at all? Just to make the film more glamorous? Why the government

does not cease the production of such commodities? Because this would adversely affect their tax

revenue share? We talk of sin – free cinema, then what about the vulgar lyrics of songs, the abusive

dialogues. Is this not hypocrisy?

Politics of the country affects our day to day life. All parties claim in their manifestos and their speeches

that they are the true servants of the nation and that they want to bring revolutionary changes in the

country. But when the same revolutionary changes are proposed by the party in power, the opposition

raises its hands and refuses to support them, thinking that this would add positive points in the account

of the party in power and could be beneficial to them in the next elections. GST is one such

revolutionary tax reform bill which is still lying pending because it is not being able to fetch the

approval of the divided Parliament. There is always a blame game without reaching to the ultimate

conclusion. Is this not hypocrisy?

This dual mind set needs to be changed. It’s time that we introspect ourselves and remove the mask

hiding our true identity. As in the words of Oscar Wilde, “I hope you are not leading a double life,

pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”

Glass of Poverty -Bhawna Bhushan

Illustration by :- Nisha Yadav

And they planned to make it the most beautiful building ever,

Maybe they were being too clever.

Touching the sky over night,

And they promised to end their life’s fight.

And there they were sitting in a class of a school

with broken windows,

Some wicked grand pa and some widows.

They will allow them to touch the stars,

They promised to heal every scar.

The dream that became to glow,

And the happiness to new life began to grow.

Poor souls never understood their hypocrisy,

The change they wanted , wasn’t easy.

Three years later the building was built,

Only the false dreams were killed.

They still sat in the broken class,

Was it poverty that was filled in their glass?

Voter Turnout in India : A Plague

-Saumya Shree Srivastava

On April 7, 2014 when India went into poll mode to elect the 16th Lok Sabha, an amazed world

watched. The statistics were staggering – the largest election in history, the longest election in national

history, the highest turnout in Indian history, the biggest exercise in electoral history, 814 million

eligible voters: it created history just by its sheer magnitude.

But, this article is not about praising India’s robust democracy – more elaborate literature from more

prolific writers has been penned on that topic. This article is about voter turnout, particularly in urban

India. The 2014 LS elections saw a turnout of 66.38% – relatively healthy for a big country like India.

But, as always, rural India outvoted urban India. Educated electorates in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai

etc. barely crossed the 50% mark while rural constituencies polled high rates of 70-80%.

What about other elections? Take the recently held Bengaluru civic body elections for example. The

BBMP elections could have involved 7.4 million voters. The voter turnout, however, was 44%. It was

44.1% in 2010. Polling rates, again, were higher in rural parts of Bengaluru when compared with urban

regions of the metropolitan city. The low rate of turnout was attributed, among other things, to bad

weather, the absence of the ‘None Of The Above’ (NOTA) option, many names missing from voter

lists and the long weekend.

Each of these reasons for low urban voter turnout is unreasonable. Bad weather and long weekend?

India has braved more storms than a little rainfall (by the way, it rains every other day in Bengaluru ,so

it’s not a surprise incident). And we need voters to realize that participating in democracy is more

important than a weekend vacation or relaxation.

Names missing from the voter lists: there were several skirmishes in the city over this issue but the

number of missing names – while appalling – was only in the hundreds. It does not give sufficient

explanation to why so few voted in general. Also, this time voters couldn’t opt for the NOTA option;

many took to social media to voice concern over the uninspiring choices they had for candidates. “It is

better to not vote than to vote for the wrong candidate.” Maybe. But the fact is that even with the

NOTA option, Bengaluru and other urban hubs vote disappointingly. And in the 2014 general

elections, NOTA polled only 1.1% of the votes – hardly comparable to the 56% who didn’t vote in

Bengaluru.

So, why is it that voter turnout in urban, progressive, educated cities like Bengaluru is so dismally low?

Why is it that voter booths in rural Bengaluru were over-crowded while the voter booths in youth-

inhabited, highly-educated wards of urban Bengaluru were nearly empty? Is it because young Indians

are lazy and uninterested? No – that would be too trivial an answer considering that the Indian youth

are highly opinionated and vote more extensively than their Western counterparts. Is it because of the

above mentioned factors? No – they may have dipped the turnout, but it would’ve been low

nevertheless. Is it because voters feel their role will not account for anything eventually?

There are several answers, many solutions and countless viewpoints. But the fact remains that educated

Indians are not living up to their responsibilities. We need well-informed voting, and voter turnout tells

a lot about us as citizens of the nation. Making voting compulsory is another debate altogether – we

need people to come out in droves and vote without having to be reminded of their responsibilities.

That’s a more ideal stage, a stage we need to aspire for.

Indian democracy is probably the most elaborate experiment in the history. Since 1947, whenever

India faced civil strife or war or economic uncertainty, Western pundits predicted balkanization, the

breaking of India, the triumph of regionalism and the failure of unity. But, such a day never came.

Elections are India’s way of reaffirming its faith in democracy. As Indians, we have a responsibility to

advance our democracy!!

TTT’S -Madhurima Khosla

Illustration by :- Manvi Kamboj

1) "Hold on a second", she puts the phone down, opens the

car window and throws the banana peel on the road. She

resumes the call, " Yeah , you are right the country is so

dirty. It's not worth living here.”

2) "Odd even formula to be executed in Delhi. Women

drivers to be exempted." Newspaper headlines read. True

they said, gender inequality still existed.

3) "Hence, child labour needs to be uprooted, for every child deserves a care-free childhood." Sitting at

the street stall he completes his speech.

"Tea", an emaciated boy comes with a cup, his trembling hands spilling the drink over the man's suit.

"You clumsy boy, you are so not getting any tip," He roars. "I'm so useless." Little chotu thought with

tears.

4) The boy fiddles with his father's Rolex, as the middle aged man fills the admission form. *Please

select category*

With a wide confident grin he puts a tick on the box.

"What is EWS father?", boy asks.

"Economically weaker section, son."

5) Picks up phone, opens Facebook account.

"Earthquake casualties increase. Click on link below to provide your support."

*scrolls*

"Victims of earthquake suffer badly. Condition worsens. Click following link to donate for victims."

*scrolls*

Sees friend's update.

Five Minutes later, DP shows country flag and status reads "Feeling sad for earthquake victims."

6) "I've never differentiated between my two children.", the elderly man boasted among his friends.

"I've always loved her like a son."

To this day, she wonders what it is to be loved like a daughter!

Status of women and hypocrisy - Divya Tibrewal

Illustration by :- Vaishali

A woman is treated like goddess in Indian society and worshipped as Durga ,Lakshmi, Saraswati but

the same woman in human form is exposed to atrocities . Is this not ironical? Is this not what we call

hypocrisy? We worship goddess Durga as a symbol of strength and courage but at the same time

suppress a woman if she does something against the league.

We worship little girls on the day of Durga Puja but what

about the other days? We keep them devoid of their basic

rights to education and freedom of speech and expression.

Women are exposed to ill-treatment right from birth with

the practice of female foeticide, common in civilized

society.

We claim to treat our daughter- in- law as goddess Lakshmi

but do not hesitate in hurting them or even killing them just

for some money .It goes without saying that ,the mentality

today is , if daughter-in- law is Lakshmi then she should

bring “Money” along with her. Cases of dowry killing highlight the hypocrisy behind our words. We do

quite contrary to what we claim.

Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge is mostly kept away from women. Girls and women are kept

devoid of their right to education in many cases, thereby, suppressing their potential and violating the

basic principle of equality.

However, it is also a fact that in today’s scenario, there is a stark change in the status of women in the

society. They are on the path of progress in almost every field including education, army, politics,

medical or legal field, etc. Today, women are getting due respect and there is definitely an

improvement in the outlook of society towards them. But such a change has just started and there is a

long way to go to materialise it fully and effectively. Still, a lot more efforts are required to ensure the

upliftment of women in India. The society needs to change its attitude towards women and equal

opportunities need to be provided to them !

A ‘Social’ Dilemma

-Shubhankar Agrawal

I have always wondered if I actually understood words like Liberalism, Marxism, Capitalism, Socialism,

Communism, Anarchism, Conservatism and the listing goes on indefinitely. It actually becomes

increasingly difficult, especially when this one word is a façade to such diverse ideologies and beliefs. A

dictionary is quite incapable to allude to a full understanding of the matter and hence, it is advisable to

resort to your own definition after extensive reading on the subject.

One such word is ‘social’ and only recently did I become plainly sensible of its use in religion, politics

and economics. The word is excessively used in different context in various fields of study. Each time it

can mean differently which lends it a very dynamic personality; for instance, terms like social relation,

social programme, social cause and social media acquire ‘social’ as their first word yet each time it

implies a different sense; but there is one similarity between all such terms which calls for- ‘an

interaction of organisms to mutually co-exist within a laid down framework of conduct’. The framework

of conduct incorporates the attitude and behaviour that take the interests, intentions, or needs of other

people into account; and whatever else that can help with the sustenance and development of the

collective.

When ‘the collective’ becomes large, no single person can play any role in defining the idea without the

consent of a greater part of members i.e the consent of the multitude. The order of the society, that

itself borrows from the word ‘social’, is dictated by the multitude. This word has a very revolutionary

persona and enjoys acceptability just about everywhere.

It is a pity when the views and ideas of the multitude is upheld as the truth and how everything

suddenly becomes ethical and right if it has the approval of the multitude whereas the ‘smaller

proportion’ is always pushed aside to breed on its own. Most of the times, multitude can be

synonymous to social, but at times ‘smaller proportion’ can be more sensitive to social than anything

else.

The present task is to explain how the genesis of our societies, that were based on particular ideas and

beliefs, borrows the word ‘social’ as a key to the heart of the multitude and how it diminishes the

freedom of action for individuals over the collective.

I say, that all the intolerable traditions and customs that abide by the ideologies of our society, which

were based on the best interest of the multitude, have been propagated at a point in history and have

withstood hundreds of unforgiving years and are still widely persistent! The multitude has ruled us

since time immemorial. It has created boundaries to separate us from the queer non-believers; ‘society’

we like to call it. What is a society, if it is not an aggregate of civilised people coming together to the

beck and call of the multitude?

Though, one might feel strongly of the judgement of the multitude but wait until your view herds only a

‘smaller proportion’ and then see for yourself- your very ideas turned into sin, no matter how right you

felt about them, and every opinion, that you had until a few moments back, turned into an unforgiving

crime in your own eyes. That is the power and influence of the multitude. Most of the times, it is

dreadful to see the multitude at its play. For instance, our clothing that we put on is believed to insulate

our bodies from the harsh environment but it is no less than a social norm. We would go bonkers

seeing a nude person sit next to us in the class or teach us for that matter. Your driver or possibly your

boss prefers to wear no clothes to work. How accepting would you be to this kind of bizarre behaviour?

I am fully confident that our community, that includes you and I, qualifies this outlandish conduct as

abnormal and it will be completely unsurprising to outcaste anybody who prefers to wear no clothes.

Further, when we have to live in a society, we have to adopt its traditions, customs, morals and rules.

So, we become a member of a society only when we are prepared to adopt its ways of living. But the

most important aspect of being accepted is sharing the same belief. You will never fit into the puzzle

otherwise.

What I am getting at is the fact that we have been a part of this society for as long as we can remember,

and it has been a long journey for sure, from an innocent child to an answerable adult. Over these

years, whatever we are, are from our experiences of our surroundings. These customs in our society

have had such an expanse of time to slowly trickel down into our minds, that we have lost our

tendencies to the society we live in.

Tendencies are not consciously examined, rather they follow no logic because they are involuntary,

instinctive and unconscious. Their existence is not perceivable. Hence, we don’t even realize that some

of our actions were tendencies that had no reasoning to support the act. Unconscious is what we truly

are. It’s the veil to our true selves and the rest is nothing but a farce. Imagine your unconscious will in

control of the society, which is further in the hands of the multitude. We are all busy taming our

conscious self but we forget that our unconscious mind is bound to everybody around us.

I believe that someone who can question his tendencies is one step closer to enlightenment.

Why Hypocrisy? -Himanshu Ahuja

Illustrations by :--Nisha Yadav And Charu Nagpal

Is India a land of Hypocrisy?

Well, let’s try to resolve this mystery!

India is Sovereign, Socialist, Secular,

Democratic Republic as the Constitution says;

But, there pervade darkened clouds

Hovering over the hopeful rays!!

The nation, once known for its

Culture, morality and spirituality;

Is now entrapped under the shades of Hypocrisy!!

But, the question still prevails,

Does Hypocrisy have some ‘historical’ trails?

Yes!! History is the evidence,

Since ages, ‘Hypocrisy’ has its prevalence.

In India, the speech of “Transgenders”,

Is considered to be divine.

But, since time immemorial,

From the mainstream, they were sidelined.

The great Hindu Epics teach us

To respect every woman.

But, 'Draupadi's Cheer Haran' was an instance,

That was highly shameful and grief-stricken!!

Was this the start to Indian hypocrisy?

Ruining the values; marring the gaiety?

Well, today, modernisation has aggravated,

The hypocrisy of the ancient times.

When, morals, values and beliefs;

Have been replaced by selfishness and

crimes!

The laws of the nation are stringent;

While their implementation is frail.

People don’t hesitate violating them;

And the ‘hypocrisy’ proceeds in its trail.

What others should do, WE preach;

What WE ought to do, WE breach!!

Our whims and selfishness overpower our

values;

Leading to emergence of 'hypocritical' views!!

Let's all shun our avarice and fancy;

Let's all shun the 'HYPOCRISY'!!!

More than just equality.. -Ankita V. Parikh

“EQUALITY FOR WOMEN”, heard these slogans for the past couple of decades but yet thinking

whether we women have got equality in the right sense or not.

If we ask the women organisations, the budding women entrepreneurs and the women who got a

chance to stand up on their own feet and make a future for themselves, they will definitely answer ‘Yes’

.They achieved equality .But visit a village where a woman who got a chance to run her family through

some employment means but is still snubbed at home by her husband, she will hesitate to accept the

full right of equality.

The situation that we have dealt with and are still dealing is that the society has come far ahead than

what it was earlier but the root method of getting equality or women’s rights has shifted to sitting on

strikes, banging desks in the Parliament and holding meaningless rallies every month in every other

state, city or a village. They are meaningless because the message they want to convey is right but the

crowd involved in the movement and the ones listening to them are just hearing the message without

understanding it.

The message of equality or place for women in the society has already reached the ears of many, but it

needs to be understood by their minds. What we women need is not the men giving us equal

weightage, we want their acceptance when they do that. We need their cooperation in understanding

the fact that, we aren’t here to prove that we are better than them. We need their confidence in us that

while working with us, they are going to benefit in totality. Our aim is not to underestimate their talent

and climb higher than them. Our main motive is to make them believe in the fact that we can do the

job equally well ; not alone always but with an effective team work.

The male dominant society does not just have to give women a position just because we have come out

on the streets and almost begging for it. Rather the need of the hour is that a man should actually

understand the cause of our freedom. We need it not to prove anything, we need it to develop our

personalities, to secure our future and to bring a revolution in the society .But a woman is not asking to

do this by showing a man that he is not as worthy as a woman. She just wants a place that is somewhere

lost in this orthodox society-a rightful place to survive with which she was born, but was gradually

reduced to dust because of some stupid and worthless societal norms.

The new generation has seen it .They have been brought up in an environment where they have seen

that working with the girls and women has always helped them a step ahead. Men, who grow in the

environment where mothers themselves restrict daughters from participating in activities of the society,

grow up with that mindset and the consequences follow till his later life. But, the scenario is completely

different where a boy has grown up with his sister and they have done things together. Where a man

has respected her sister as much as his mother, there a woman will never have to ask for equality.

So, what matters is the development of the environment around us. We need to stop asking for

equality. It is the major duty of women themselves to take steps to change their home environment

first. Just as charity begins at home, let this equality begin from home itself. This developed and

matured set up of the home environment will slowly and gradually seep into the society, where

mundanes will not just listen to appeals but will also understand and act upon them because they would

have experienced the consequences back home. It is a matter of utter grief and agony that in Indian

society, modern and well-educated girls often ridicule other girls who generally dress up in Indian attire,

know less of English or are less confident, and call them ‘Behenji Types’. This kind of attitude is really

demeaning and shameful. If a woman won’t respect other women, then how can the society, at large, be

expected to do so?

What the society needs now, is more than just ‘equality’. We need the people of the society to

understand and accept certain facts that will have to be seen and experienced .Asking for a place is not

going to help. It will just increase frustration. Paving a path for them to experience the verbal play that

we are describing is what will actually make a difference. To expect something from others, the women

community will first have to accept the change themselves.

Twisted Logic! -Ravija Sharma

Illustration by:- Nitya Mittal

YOU don't let me step out,

YOU don't let me uncover my head,

YOU don't let me speak out,

YOU don't let me live my best,

BUT when a suitor comes along

ASTRIDE a dying bull,

YOU let him leer at me,

YOU let him strip me with his eyes,

YOU let him talk dirty to me,

YOU let him take my life,

YOU don't let me talk to boys,

YOU don't let me stand equal to them,

BUT when one of them rapes me,

YOU make him family,

YOU make him my better half.

IS THIS YOUR TWISTED LOGIC?

The Bovine Rule

-Gouri Garg

Every morning, on the road next to a Metro station near my house, the Indian way of life has a

communion with Swachh Bharat.

After collecting garbage from nearby colonies, contracted workers of the Municipal Council, dump it in

huge garbage space on the side of the road. Within minutes, stray cows and dogs start scavenging for

food in this putrid pile. The cows search patiently: plastic bags, sanitary napkins, stale vegetables, dry

rotis and newspapers laced with food get carefully scanned for anything that is edible. In the end, not

satiated by the garbage, the cows turn to the carts of roadside vegetable vendors, who, instead of feeding

them, drive the animals away with sticks and slippers.

This, essentially, is plight of the animal, rather of paradoxically the most respected animal in India.

While people fight over whether cattle can be turned into food, the poor ‘Gau Mata’ struggles daily for

nourishment. We use them in every possible manner, squeeze out every drop of their milk, inject them

with chemicals and hormones to increase their output and then leave them on the roads, hoping some

pious Hindu would throw food at them and reduce our cost of feeding them.

No, Hindus don't kill cows. They only leave them out on the streets once they become dry and barren.

Let us compare the plight of our holy mother with cows in other countries. In a study of livestock in

West Bengal, a professor at the University of Missouri found that the cattle ate only the inedible

remains of crops, apart from what they find in streets. But, gradually their killing and consumption was

discouraged, primarily because of socio-economic reasons. Cows gave us milk and other dairy

products, they produced oxen that were used in fields and, their dung was used as fuel and manure.

For many families, a cow was the centre of their economy. Killing it deprived them of milk, fuel and

oxen to farm their land, leading to financial ruin. So, protecting them made lot of socio-economic

sense. Urbanisation and mechanisation changed the man-bovine relation. Now, we find cows useful

only till they can be milked. Once they serve their purpose, they are cast away in the urban jungle.

Our cold apathy for cows is the reason that we have unique Indian institution: gaushala (shelter for

cows), where hundreds of stray cattle are herded together in the hope that donations and government

doles will keep them alive. Since, we call cow our mother, these shelters seem inspired by old-age

homes where our biological mothers await their end after being thrown out of homes.

So, the stigma that is hovering over our society is not that we don’t respect cows , rather it is in regard to

our negligence towards them. We need to be sensitive towards them and urge others to be so. We

should ensure proper care and affection for them as they not only serve our socio-economic interest ;

rather they are a symbol of sacredness and sanctity in our society!

EDITOR : HIMANSHU

AHUJA

CO-EDITOR : STUTI MOHAN

ANKITA V. PARIKH

AROMA

A.SWATHI BHAWNA BHUSHAN

DIVYA TIBREWAL

FATHIMA REZWAN

GOURI GARG MADHURIMA

KHOSLA RAVIJA

SHARMA

SAUMYA SHREE

SRIVASTAVA

SHUBHANKAR AGRAWAL

SUGANDH BHATIA

ON BOARD