Lakshmi

I watched the movie "Lakshmi " directed by Nagesh Kuknoor in a local theatre.It conveys very strongly, that trafficking in girls, is a horrific reality.

This is the story of Lakshmi ,a minor girl, who is sold off for a few thousands, to a corporator & a female one at that ! Then her nightmare begins.She reaches the home of a kind man.He ravages her first & then she is sent to a brothel.Every night ,she serves customers all night .As she cleanses ,herself after each customer,the lumps rise in the throat .And before the lumps can be swallowed,many more rise.It is heart wrenching to watch her go through the same ordeal so many times in one night.This continues night after night.In between all this ,she tries to run away some times.Every time, she fails & is slapped ,beaten black & blue into submission. Does she manage to  fly like a kite   towards freedom  ? Do her tormentors get punished ? What about her two sisters, who are seperated, when she is sold off ?

The film torments .It is brutal,  to the core .The film depicts that  men, across all ages,all sections of society,  take immense pleasure in sleeping with minor girls.They just want sex.They  care a damn,  if the girl is unwell. Their raging libidos need to be satiated,nothing less.Some scenes are such, that the viewer, cannot dare look at them.


Official trailer : courtesy You Tube 

All performers Satish Kaushik,Shefali Shan,Monali Thakur,Ram Kapoor & the director, who acts in the film have given stellar performances.Swear words & double meaning words are used freely.The film is an honest & brave attempt, to create awareness about sexual trafficking of women & children worldwide.It is estimated that human trafficking is the third largest organised crime after illegal drug industry & arms trade.

The movie gives jitters as it reveals dark secrets like increasingly minors are in high demand in sex trade & examines the reasons allegedly behind the same.Many are suffering from STDs ( SexuallyTransmitted diseases ). And there are myths  that having sex with a virgin  is a cure for STDs.These reasons & the aftermath,  are enough to stun us into silence.

Let us speak out against child sexual abuse,child pornography sexual trafficking.Let us speak  for compulsory sex education in schools.Let us be aware of the dangers, that are lurking #Child Sexual Abuse Awareness .

This blog post is for letter "L" in the A to Z Blogging Challenge,2014.

Sharing blog posts of two fellow bloggers :

Lizzi Rogers 

Shinjini Mehrotra 

Jugaad

I first came across jugaad in my daughter's textbook when she was in the sixth standard.I learnt that it is a vehicle used in rural areas  in India,to transport people.It is cheap & needs no registration with the Road transport authorities.This vehicle can move over roads full of potholes ( Nothing great as most of the Indian roads are just potholes )  as it has very low speed  ( 60 km/h).



Jugaad also means an alternative & cheap solution to a problem. We know, how all of us are forever looking at ways to save costs.Jugaad is a result of all that or rather when we try to work out some cost saving method be it an invention or a discovery of a new way to go about something which has expensive solutions,it means we have done jugaad.

A man from Bihar invented this bicycle which can be used on water as well ! He was unable to meet his wife on time.This was because he had to cross a water body & boats were overcrowded.He is Mohammad Saidullah.He is, in fact, a serial inventor.

When students use cardboard boxes,cotton ,wires,etc for school projects ....they are doing  jugaad .Doctors are doing  jugaad when they are using everyday things like paper clips to keep cost down.One person. in Gujarat has designed a refrigerator which is  cheap & keeps things cool without electricity.Of course,all those who do jugaad do so with patience.There is a result of  hard work over long periods.No instantaneous results !

There is a facebook page " PROJECTS JUGAAD " showcasing all such jugaads & more !

Now ,I better stop here, as I have to do jugaad for the upcoming letters of the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2014.


This is the tenth post for the A to Z Blogging Challenge 2014.

Sharing blog posts of two fellow bloggers : 

Janaki Nagaraj

Jaibala Rao

Instantaneous

The times we live in, are impatient times.We are impatient about each & everything.We want instant results to problems which have been there for a long time.

This is the age of the net.We want to talk to others instantaneously .We have the mobile & other internet tools like skype,google talk,yahoo messenger,etc.One click & connections get made for chatting ,talking,sharing photos,ideas etal.

There are instant food mixes available to satiate our hunger pangs .They are very convenient & reasonably priced.About nutritional values,there is little doubt, that they are mostly absent.

We want to earn money fast.So we are willing to go to any extent.We are willing to pull others down ,project ourselves,adopt all illegal means,etc.There are no full stops in our craze to get rich & successful.We prefer shortcuts to success rather than the long winding roads to joy.And once we get there,we feel all the more insecure.So another rat race begins & the vicious cycle continues.

We prefer live shows that are being telecast now.Our kids also expect their demands to be fulfilled at that moment.Because ,children ape us.When they see us on our mobiles ,laptops,tablets,kindles etc,they imitate us.

Why this craze for everything instantaneous ?Is it because, we are very insecure, about what will happen tomorrow ? We are all stressed out by instant updates about our lives & those of others.Unfortunately ,all this fast life has robbed us of perseverance,patience,persistence,etc..We are unable to concentrate on any task at hand.So ,the results are just about there.They lack the  brilliance & passion of times gone by.

Let us learn to be patient & persistent with the tasks on hand....kids,family ,work ..in fact everything.The outcomes will be much better & simply excellent.Let us try to believe, in the present rather than worry about the future.Towards,this end ,let us spend some time, in quiet contemplation.Let us remember  that even if we win all the rat races,we will  still remain rats.

This is the ninth post for A to Z Blogging Challenge,2014.

Showcasing blog posts of two fellow Bloggers :

Anuradha Khanna Pentapalli

Nithya Raghunath