As I was driving by in the AC comfort of the car listening to FM .I suddenly saw a man holding on to a wooden pole with all his might .It was leaning across the 40 ft.electric pole .I craned my neck to see and the scene will always remain etched in my memory .Tied to the pole with a rope was another man , a bucket of paint tied to his waist and he was painting the pole with a cloth wrapped in his hand .So the life of the painter was in the hands of the puny labourer holding on to the pole .Ido not think I can describe the poignant scene .It really shook me up .How can we say we are a developed or even a developing nation if in the capital of the country we still use such primitive means .Whosoever was responsible for getting the poles painted should be punished for this inhumanity.I wish I had a camera that day as I have not been able to express the stark inhumanity and indignity of that scene . I think the country could be called developed or even developing when the worker at the lowest rung is well looked after .

The editorial in Hindustan times(8th May ) is about M.F.Hussain,s right to paint Hindu Gods and Godessses as and how he pleases .The paper supports Hussain ,s right to paint such pictures as artistic licence .It also criticizes the Home Ministry ,s call to take appropriate action against the painter .I can not understand how hurting the sentiments of anybody can be defended as artistic expression .By this logic the offending MMS and morphing the pictures should also be allowedas creativity There has to be a self controlling mechanism.The best and simplest criteria would be to see whether the creative expression (it may be a painting ,an article or a sculpture or even a movie) unneccesssarily makes fun of someone ,s sensibilities .Would the Editor still feel the same if under artistic freedom someone paints his mother ,wife ,sister or daughter in various forms of undress .I think the issue is not about Hindus (as the editor thinks ) only anything which offends the sensibilities of any community should not be allowed .It is wrong to have double standards .The pseudo secularists make a hue and cry when cartoons depicting Prophet are published but defend Hussain,s artistic freedom .Let us have the same standards for every one and not deliberately hurt any community .After all by whatever name you call you can not deny that supreme being is one and the same and if you hurt or insult one you insult them all .

There are two kids I really feel very sorry for though the two can not be compared at all .The one that touches my heart is little Buddhia .The four and half year old child was made to run 65 kms just to create a record for Limca Book of records .The poor child was on the verge of collapse as he ran .How could the organisers be so cruel .If and I think he is a prodigy nurture him ,let him grow strong instead of making inhuman demands on his stamina .I wondered why he did not make it to Guiness book and was told that most probably they will not allow such a record to be made .Whoever is the guardian of Buddhia should see that his progress and stamina is not stunted .Give him a break .
The other person is Kaavya .She is seventeen just a teenager .She has excellent writing skills .Maybe she 'internalized 'some passages ,maybe she copied them .Before giving her such a huge advance and building her up as a prodigy should not the publishers and editors scrutnized her work ? They deserve the brickbats .Tough luck Kaavya for being a pawn .