Author: farooq Page 26 of 45

Request from an Indian Muslim

On October 16, 2015

How would one describe the emotion when you are constantly reminded or questioned about your right of living in your country?

Anger.

Outrage is so much easier.

People like us, can be mocked as the “keyboard” activists, whose outrage ranges from a blog post or numerous facebook and twitter posts. From the list of activities in a day, almost half of it is consumed by arguing endlessly with people whose ideas are never going to change. Yet, since we have so much time on our hand and the constant urge to not sit idle, we just never stop shouting about issues.

There are few who relate to us, few show their solidarity, few feel disgusted of every word we utter and even few who laugh at our plight.

Those of you who know me from Jamshedpur, understand how difficult life has been, and it has only been with Allah’s blessing, it has become a little stable. I doubt there is anyone in my family who even speaks about politics, national issues or everyday controversies. Except my late Grandfather who was into anything political. I’m pretty sure that my non-facebook using Ammi , if comes to know that I write things concerning issues like these, her first words would be, “kya zarroart hai tujhe ye sab ki?” (What is the need of all this).

Do you think any of us who do all this on Social media or elsewhere, likes doing it? We would feel ashamed if a non-Indian even points to incidents happening in this country to us. Even if some of you wouldn’t want to believe, it is our country too. We don’t need to do a Surya Namaskar to prove that. A lot of us have far better things to do. The concern of the most of the Indian muslim focusses around earning bread for his family. If you don’t believe, just take a walk across any of the city suburbs, ghettos, you’ll find a lot of us. Do you think they care who is in the government? Or whether there is a ban on anything or not? Or that there is something called Love Jihad? All this information doesn’t give them their bread.

[Image courtesy: Saddahaq.com]

I’ve outraged a lot, be it shouting aloud about why I’m not sorry about eating beef or criticizing Modi to questioning the Closet Sanghis.

Outrage is Anger.

But it is not just about the anger. All this is Sad. If the present situation doesn’t make you sad, then I question you. Just like everyone is questioning our identity. And please don’t start the chain of messages of solidarity, if you really care about it, then do something.

From those politicians who is hell bent on sending us to Pakistan and anyone among you who never stops at putting that as a reference in your jokes. From deciding what we should eat and killing if we don’t comply and even justifying the same. More than the mob which killed Ikhlaq in Dadri, the MPs from the government telling, “If you eat beef, this will happen”. Not just that, the Chief Minister of a state proudly suggests, if Muslims don’t stop eating beef, they can go to Pakistan?

If what MPs, Chief Ministers and spokespersons of the ruling party, then this happens to be a Hindu Nation?!

I can list down Muslim freedom fighters, Kings, Nawabs and others who actually fought to get us this freedom which is now being shown to us as some sort of charity. And even if list them down, those of you whose ideology still roams around India to be a Hindu nation, will ignore that piece of information.

If you really care about the Idea of India, then do something to save it. Instead of responding to the Dadri Lynching with “A hindu killed in Bihar by Muslims”, “Why were you silent when that happened?”, “What about Godhra?, try to understand that the Idea of India is being removed brick by brick. Now it is just a few bricks, but if this continues there will be a bigger wall between us. A wall which won’t be easy to break.

Please consider this a request from an Indian Muslim and save the idea of our country. It is neither yours nor mine, it is ours.

The closet Sanghis

By farooq

On October 15, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

While Facebook pages never get tired of sharing anti-Pakistan content as cater to a select “audience” which orgasms on content like this. It’s appalling see how even “educated” people share things like these. The only thing this does is, add to the stereotype, bring in more hate and continue to paint a picture far away from reality.

Of course, there’s no point in arguing with idiots, but these idiots help create more of their kind. The obsession of anything to deal with Pakistan, the zeal to see “wide-eyed” sensationalized news and to show glaringly show their Islamophobic feelings, becomes apparent so often.

These are the people who are “the Closet Sanghis”, the Indian Islamophobia affected class.

Iis not amusing to see your timeline filled with status updates which read, “There is a powercut at my place, why isn’t the PM speaking”, “There was a robbery in my neighbourhood, why Isn’t the PM speaking” and many other similar ones. Of course the idea behind this is to mock at all the outrage over how everyone, except the 31%, has been crying relentlessly asking a statement from the Modi.

This is that part of the population, which couldn’t muster up the courage, unlike those BJP leaders who visited Dadri to pacify the mob who lynched a 50-year old man on the rumors of eating beef. They had to keep their voices down and wait for something a little “grey” to put their thoughts out to the world.

(Image courtesy: dnaindia.com)

Meet the group, which is more dangerous to the idea of India than the RSS. At least they are open to what they want to do in India. The closet Sanghi, even though sympathizes with RSS and wants almost the same things like them, but is a little afraid to blurt it out. Perhaps, suffers from the “Log kya kahenge” Syndrome”.

To add to their problems, a list of eminent writers have been returning their Sahitya Academy Awards in response to the communal propaganda of the government. Arguments as silly as, “Why didn’t you returned it in ’84?” or “Why didn’t you do it “in the year when BJP cannot be blamed” ? have surfaced all throughout the Social media. Not just that, one of the writers from Punjab had to face the obnoxiously irritating Sambit Patra on why she didn’t returned the award in ’84 ? All she could reply was, she got the award in 2002.

While Chetan Bhagat seems to be making more sense to the Closet Sanghis now-a-days, the list of authors andpoets across the country continue to add their names to the list of writers who are showing their protest.

Of course, you can question the intention of these writers. You have the right to protest or speak what you feel like. No one can stop you from doing that.

But how come your hypocrisy comes to light when the same is being done the other way round ?

Why cannot the citizens of this country question Modi on not speaking up on important issues ? Now, don’t say that he has “better things to do”. Tweeting “get well soon”wishes and trying to take jibes at political opposition shouldn’t come in that category. Or is that the only thing he is good at ?

I doubt we would have even heard him speak if it was not the Bihar Elections!! His mouth has been programmed to open only when he is at a political rally, giving speeches to NRI’s-cum-taking potshots at Indian political opponents, or giving pre-decided interviews to select news channels. Not ready to face reporters out in the open yet ?

I’m not expecting him to answer anyways. After years of the Horrific 2002 riots in Gujarat, all he could come up with was, “If a puppy comes under you car, you of course feel sad”. No points for guessing that the victims of Gujarat were the puppies.

For Dadri, he wants people not to blow it out of proportion, when all he needed to do was come out and condemn the incident just when it happened. But then, why expect him to Not play to the Sanghi gallery ? Even the Closet Sanghis wanted it.

In Search of Happiness

By farooq

On October 13, 2015

In Random Philosophy

The search of Happiness is a life long pursuit which never allows us to be content. We strive to achieve it, build dreams of getting to that goal where we assume we will finally feel happy, and yet the goal just keeps distancing itself from us.
Forget about materialistic things, which ultimately doesn’t give us the intrinsic happiness with which we associated it to be, even happiness out of things we love end up on most occasions to be a disappointment.
We love to associate happiness with the perfect picture. The ideal scenario, where we have it all. We ensure that we push ourselves into getting that perfection into our lives. Our eagerness to reach the destination is so much that we forget about the journey itself. In the process, we even forget our initial goal was happiness.
If you ask people what is their aim, would you ever hear anyone say, “happiness”?! I doubt.
The answer would center around goals which were conceptualized to reach happiness, but ultimately miss the objective and become entirely something else.
Not getting them only makes the situation worse. We not only forget our actual objective of becoming happy, but centre the entire failure on the materialistic pleasure we put our hopes on.

Yes, happiness does lie in little moments. When you travel, it’s the journey of anticipation that brings happiness. When you savor a brilliant dish, it’s the aroma and the delight of having it, that brings happiness. When you’re with your family or friends, moments cheer you up. But the happiness gets restricted to those moments, memories of those moments and anticipation of many more of them in future. We do have happy days every now and then. But can we sustain them for long?
This is the point where you expect me to write a conclusion, but then this isn’t one of those posts. This is just a random blabber and a revering thought, and yes an attempt in search of Happiness. Have you found it yet?

I’m not sorry that I eat Beef

By farooq

On October 6, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

Beef.

It took me a lot of effort to write this post. You’d think, for someone like me who has been vocal on social media, it shouldn’t be difficult. Right?

Penning that first word itself has put me in a lot of dilemma, whether writing this was a bad idea in the first place.

I eat Beef. So do many others around the world. And so do many in India. Almost all muslims in India, have at some point or the other eaten it as well. I know for many of you it might be offensive to even hear me say that I do this.

Frankly, I’m not sorry.

In many parts of the country, terms like “Bade ka Gosht”, “Bhakkad” and the likes are used instead of bluntly referring to it as, Beef.

Over decades we took special care not to be offensive. When friends would ever ask, whether you eat Beef? The answers would be vague enough to not show that we do. Yes, at some point or the other, our parents have told us to try not to openly say it to others.

But that time has gone. It went off when an old man was killed for eating Beef. Oh sorry, on rumors of eating beef!

Forget just that, for than the shameful act of actually killing the person, it is the people who are actually trying to justify the act. Trying to find reasons on blaming the family by labeling them as thieves?!!

The world might laugh on hearing this news, but we in India, “The beef eating Muslims”, aren’t. we cannot. Be prepared to add another clichéd label on your next vilayat visit, where you’ll happily enjoy alongside other beef eating people, who aren’t Muslims!!

Beef is offensive to you?

Alcohol, pork and many of the religions which have anything to do with idol-worship might be offensive to many, if they don’t come from the same thought school as you do. Would you also help us get rid of all these?

Many out there are nothing but hypocritical fools, who won’t eat beef but are okay with showing off their leather jackets or their new branded bags. Where do you think leather comes from? From the vegetable skin that you eat?

The idea to call a beef ban is not to ensure that it doesn’t offend religious sentiments, but to try and show power that now the fringe can do what they feel like. They want to show that we, the minorities are at their mercy. But sorry, that ain’t gonna happen. We won’t back down, if you think we would. Our Idea of India is not a Hindu nation. We have fought for it’s freedom too. Are my fears of how the nation is going to be, before the elections, coming true ?

You are completely okay if you don’t want to eat beef, and we do try not to offend you to. No one goes and sets a slaughter house near a temple or in a densely populated population which doesn’t eat meat. It is mostly located in muslim ghettos far from the comfort of your homes. The fact that a lot of our population is depended on this trade, their livelihood and the three square meals their families get, are depended on it, makes it more important than anything else.

If any of us, tries to shove beef down your throat, or try to show disrespect to your values, then I’d be sorry.

But, I’m definitely not sorry for eating beef.

A Happy Day

By farooq

On September 17, 2015

In Random Philosophy

Coffee

With a mug of coffee by my side, resting this old laptop on my lap and comforting my bums on this bean bag, I start off writing.

Quantifying the time since I last wrote a blog, would be a strained exercise on my teeny tiny brain, and I’m in no mood to spoil this wonderful day. The weather is bangalorean. Oh yes, we now use it as an adjective for a pleasant weather, of course.

To those celebrating, happy Ganesh Chaturthi. And for others like me, who had a holiday, this happens to be a particularly good day. On most occasions, a holi’day’ gets spoiled by a late night (early morning, I mean) tv-series marathon. The next day when you wake up, it is either about rushing to meet your pals or getting the pending household chores done. A holiday hardly remains one.

For Starters, I slept in the Prime Meridian time zone. Woke up to the usual office time alarm and gifted myself another 2 hours of extra sleep. Bonus!

Cleaned up the entire place along with the roomie, troubling him to take part in this exercise as well. Followed it up with Chicken Biryani, delivered by Swiggy (Surprisingly, on Time). Good day, Isn’t ?

Days like these are pretty rare. Weekends, come with plans. These weekday holidays, are kinda blessings. Gives back energy to continue with work life. In my case, a much needed one. The new office, seems to have a lot of work. (Interesting work, thankfully). Cycling close to 20km in total over a day, and battling the Bangalore traffic through those seven gears, is indeed another tiring process.

But for all the troubles, there is a feeling of being content. Being happy for all the things one is blessed with. We all trouble ourselves with reaching destinations, and in that simply ignore the journey. It would be terrible to not be able to reach our destinations, but imagine not even enjoying the journey ?

Happiness is in little moments. Small packages. When I crawl out my way through traffic, while others wait for the green. I’m happy that I’m cycling. When at the end of a tough day at work, I have something that I can say I learnt. I’m happy. There are so many things one can be happy about, and yet we force ourselves to ignore those and focus on the things we can crib about.

Let us learn to be happy. Have a happy day, everyone.

To you, the hypocritical Nationalists.

By farooq

On August 13, 2015

In Politics & Social Issues

These two images are from completely reliable sources (Bloomberg and Infomine). How the International Oil prices have taken a dip over the last year. You don’t have to be an economist to understand the impact of Oil prices.

Now, just compare the rates of Petrol or Diesel back then and now. When this government came to power the Oil per barrel was $108/barrel and stands at $46/barrel now. But has the common man seen any change in the price ? No.

Are we seeing any debates on issues like these on National Televisions ? Are we witnessing how news anchors rush to ask all the BMW waalas about their response on Oil prices ? Where did all our activism go over this last year ?

The last time rupee took a dive down, my timeline and almost all the social media was filled with questions as to what the government is doing ? Jokes on Dr. Singh and of course the ever fav “Italian” Sonia Gandhi. Amazing, how you all feel “proud” of Indian Americans making it big, but still bring her ethnicity whenever you feel like. The present Foreign minister had on record claimed she would shave off her hair if Sonia becomes the PM back in 2004. Of course, she didn’t become one and we were spared the dare.
The PM before this joker was silent on almost everything, this one only opens his mouth when he steps on a Poll campaign. Can someone please tell him, PM isn’t PR minister? He has time for election campaigns. Spending time on “Mann ki baat”, attending marriage ceremonies in expensive suits, wishing Happy Birthdays to every Tom dick and harry and when people question him for days on Dadri, what does he come up with ?
I doubt anyone apart from the ones who have opposed him since long would do. Or when they would do, will be branded as Rabid Anti-BJP elements.
It’s sad you know, most of you were shouting how people even say Yaqub shouldn’t be hanged. Now the same you has plainly ignored everything when Aseemanand, or Kodnani or Bajrangi are given bails, forget about being hanged. You were all so excitedly blaming someone else’s religion just a few days back. Whose religion should I blame for this ?
No, I won’t blame your religion. But I do blame idiots out there, the so called “Nationalists” who have dug a hole of hypocrisy and refuse to come out of it.

Wake up, before they start putting more people to sleep. Literally.

I wrote this piece before elections and what I feared is finally coming true.

But then, you put these guys into power.

Airtel 4G Speed Challenge

By farooq

On August 6, 2015

In Others

So, I stumbled upon the new Airtel advertisement. I know, right? 4G!! As exciting as it was watching the advert, I’m pretty sure the network would also be much better. With the kind of networks that we end up using, the promise of 4G is something to look forward to.

Airtel launched 4G nationally today with a new television commercial:

The challenge for speed is certainly making a big promise. Knowing Airtel and its network capability, it does sound like they are on their game once again.

You would wonder whether 4G prices would be sky-high, right? Considering it is superior than the previous 3G ? Well, you’re in for a treat. They have not only tried to bust a lot of myths with the pricing, but with putting up an open challenge to other networks with it.

The new website of the brand, can be accessed to view the new pricing of 4G. The prices, as you can see, are almost like 3G!!

You’ll be wondering how you can get started, like me. Correct ? Well, all you have to do is, have a 4G device, which I’m sure many of the people reading this would have one. Yes, like others we also might be using the 4G capable device with a 3G network. But finally, it is time to make the change. Change to 4G!! If you have a 4G capable device, you can just request for a sim, and it would be delivered to you at your doorstep, and that too, free of cost. You heard that right. Free of cost. Don’t you already love Airtel ?

So, what are you waiting for? Just order for a sim card and meanwhile, check out their new website till your doorbell rings. Considering the speed of 4G, even their home delivery won’t be late!!

Why Zenfone 2 is on everyone’s wishlist ?

By farooq

On June 30, 2015

In Others

Mobile phones, when you unbox them out of their neat and fine packaging, insert your simcard and use, are those perfect little things which you start loving. They are gadgets which are the dearest to you. Going out of home without them is out of question. With Internet, they are simply your best friends. They are your favourite. But as they age, each of them start developing problems. Either their constant need to alienate themselves from you and develop affinity for the charging point, or constant mood swings where they decide to turn themselves off for no reason or sometimes even hung up on us. They all develop issues after sometime. When you point out their low mAh’s or RAM later, they look at you with disgust, “didn’t you always knew about it? “ You are left speechless!

After managing for a while with guilt of the souring relationship, you already start looking for options. A bit of research around and finally you dump the old one for new. Cheater!! The cycling of betrayal goes on from one phone to another.

Keeping Drama aside, isn’t that we all do with each of our phones? Where does the problem lie in the first place? Speaking from personal experience, the three main reasons why we look are Battery life, RAM and value for money.

Keeping all this in mind, there’s only one phone which fits perfectly, to be termed as my favourite. It is Zenfone 2!!

(Pic Courtesy: http://www.mobilegeeks.com/asus-zenfone-2-hands-hail-king-affordable-smartphones/)

RAM: The biggest highlight of the phone is its 4GB Ram. Probably the first smartphone to come with such a feature. That’s right. Imagine the ease of using multiple applications simultaneously without worrying about anything which might slow the device down? Yes, that is what you’ll get. I mean, for crying out loud, my laptop doesn’t have a 4GB RAM (Reminds me, I have to change that as well)

Looks: Oh the sleek look it has. With around 170gms for a 5.5 inch phone, this phone looks amazing. The first time you’ll take this into your hand, you’ll realize how light it is for a phone of this size.

Value for Money: With a 13 MP rear camera and a 5MP front one, 32 GB Internal storage which is expandable, 4 GB RAM and 3000mAh battery, this phone is a value for money deal. You have it all in this at just Rs 12,999!!

Although there’s more to a phone than just the specs, this phone surely has what it takes to be your favorite one. It surely is mine. Zenfone 2 is something which should be on everyone’s wish list.

#SniffSniff

By farooq

On June 16, 2015

In Others

It’s exciting to get hints and clues in the form of little packages while you’re in office. When I signed up for this activity I was expecting something similar, but with each passing day, even the expectations were surprising in a good way. I’m using my investigative skills to uncover the mystery of #SniffSniff at BlogAdda

This activity, organized by Blogadda along with another secret brand. The first clue I got was this Card with a clip.

Of course, since the activity was itself titled #SniffSniff, it was something related to smell. What could it be? A refreshing new soap? Deodorant ? Room or a Car freshener ? Numerous thoughts raced my mind. And I wasn’t the only one. Social media was abuzz with #SniffSniff too. While there were others who were part of this activity, there were many confused souls who were kept wondering as to what this whole SniffSniff was about? Not just social media, even my Colleagues at office kept asking me about the little boxes I kept getting.

The second clue was this cute little sack opf coffee beans. Apart from anything else, getting this package itself lent a big grin to my face. For someone who simply loves coffee, its aroma just filled up my desk for the morning, this clue gave further insight into what it was. Maybe a Coffee flavored variant of something like a room freshener?

I commute to office in my bicycle, and hence it was again something which I could relate to, A pollution mask. I had second thoughts on my previous guesses of a room freshener. And might just be a deodorant.

Finally, another package came sniffing its way to my desk. It wasn’t a Soap, it wasn’t a room or car freshener and it wasn’t even a deodorant. It’s a deodorizer. Nivea Men’ fresh protect Body deodorizer!!

How cool is that? It helps prevent body odour for 48 hours and you need not apply it throughout and remain fresh as always.

More than anything loved being part of this activity and I did have a fair idea as to where this #SniffSniff activity was headed, but it is always a great feeling to keep opening packages for new clues.