Tuesday 29 March 2016

It’s A World Of TERROR: EgyptAir Flight HIJACKED!


An EgyptAir plane MS181 has been hijacked by a group of unidentified hijackers when it was on its way to Cairo from Alexandria. According to reports, the plane has been landed at Cyprus after the hijackers contacted the control tower and sought permission for the landing. Nearly 80 passengers, including crew, have been believed to be on board.

With the dawn of 2016, terrorism seems to have taken a new birth too! Not that it had not existed before; oh how can we forget the Paris attacks in 2015, the attacks in India in 2008 and the fatal terrorist activities going on across the world since years! But terrorism seems to be taking a new birth currently, with a greater objective of destroying the world and humanity in general.

So the year began with the gruesome terrorist attacks in Pathankot, India that left many officers martyred. Following the fateful attack, when the country was put on high alert, suspected terrorists with explosives were arrested in certain parts of the country. Clearly, this indicated the planning of an attack, probably a bigger one that intended to kill humans and humanity. Like the previous ones were not enough to cause destruction, fresh attacks have been planned against the world by certain terror groups since years now.

Months after India suffered the Pathankot attack, Brussels in Belgium was attacked recently, allegedly by a suicide bomber, causing immense destruction to life and property. And, like that was not enough to scare people enough, Pakistan too recently faced a gruesome terrorist attack that has rendered many children without parents and parents without children.

While the world mourns in terror for the attack victims, while people are still making rounds of hospitals in Brussels and Pakistan to find their dear ones, here comes another blow in the form of the hijack!

What’s happening around us? While most of us are busy working and earning a fair income for ourselves and our families, how much can we guarantee our life?


India, recently, witnessed the story of Neerja Bhanot, a brave flight attendant, who had saved the passengers of a hijacked Pan Am flight in 1986 through the Bollywood movie, Neerja. While the world witnessed and watched in horror the story of the braveheart who risked her own life to save over 350 passengers on board, here comes the news of another hijack! God be with the innocent passengers and shield them from all dangers!

Terrorism has been taking the world by fire lately! The back to back terror attacks in different parts of the world clearly indicate that we are heading towards a dark future, a world of hatred and violence.
And what is all this done for? Religion? They are right when they say ‘Terrorism Has No Religion’! Because none of the religions in the world preaches violence to its followers! What is done in the name of jihad and God, in reality, is simply a gruesome act of mass killings and murders that do not take the terrorists anywhere but to hell. It is a second thing whether they get caught or not, but, surely none of the souls would be guaranteed peace for killing people, destroying homes and families and murdering humanity.

The entire world needs to unite against terrorism and give a tough fight to it so as to curb it. Yes, it is surely not an easy task to put an end to it but, together, things can be sorted out more easily!
First and the foremost, it is necessary to determine the financial sources of the terrorist groups. Once the sources are found, they need to be blocked as soon as possible. No, it certainly isn’t easy but, it is not impossible either. There are many loopholes in our administrative systems that these terrorist groups take an advantage of to destroy humans and humanity.


Let’s simply pray for the passengers on the EgyptAir flight and for all those who lost their innocent lives in such ghastly terror acts!

Monday 21 March 2016

The Perks Of Being Born In An Influential Family!

India is a country that has come a long way ever since independence, a country that has innumerable technicians, doctors, scientists and creative brains that can lead it to progress. Yet, we remain in a country that treats different people differently, where people from influential families have a different set of laws to follow, unlike the common man and the downtrodden ones.

There are countless perks of being born into an influential family in India apart from having the luxury of going to school/college in expensive cars every day and chilling out in the centralized air conditioning in the house when the world burns in the sun outside during summers. Read them out below (sarcasm intended)!

1. You can drive a car even before you turn 18!


This is what a top cop’s son in Kerala has taught us! The teenager had been caught on camera driving his father’s SUV who is an IG in Kerala. And, guess what, the car he was seen driving was actually an official car of his father. Wow, if only we all could get that liberty, to drive expensive cars on roads, even without qualifying the minimum driving age!

2. You can kill someone with your car and get away with it!


We aren’t so alien to this one, are we? We have all seen the acquittal of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan from the hit and run case of 2002. The court, with its judgment, literally meant that the car was not driven by anybody. We wonder how it climbed onto the footpath and killed and injured people then! But, no worries dude! Salman Khan is influential and that’s enough to set him free, nay? And, do you remember Akash Ambani ramming his Aston Martin into another car and killing innocents?

3. You can shoot someone and get away with it!


I guess you know who I am talking about! How can we forget the popular Jessica Lal case that shook the entire nation? Manu Sharma, born in a wealthy and influential family, thought that it was okay to shoot a bartender who had refused to serve him drinks after the bar had closed late at night. Only after the media intervened and took things in hands that Manu Sharma was declared guilty and sentenced.

4. You can thrash people, bribe cops and walk free!


Oh yes, this one is especially for our beloved and well behaved politicians. Come elections and you will see newspapers flooded with news of thrashings and attacks by one political group to other. But, have you ever thought why these attackers never get punished? Why political party leaders do not stay behind bars after they ignite people to protest violently? Because hey, they are INFLUENTIAL!

5. You are above the law!


While we have been taught by our school textbooks that the law is above everyone else and it does not discriminate against people based on any grounds, the reality might be a little different! The wealthy and the influential ones seem to be above the law for they are acquitted of every other crime they commit.


It is high time people take a stand against the wrongdoings of others, no matter how influential and wealthy the person standing in front of them is. Yes, the battle would be difficult, no wonder, but, if these influential ones continue to be acquitted, there will be a time when laws would really be different for people, based on their caste, religion, wealth and social status!

Tuesday 8 March 2016

Woman Of Worth - Ms. Jyothi Reddy!



It is the 8th of March and the entire world is celebrating International Women’s Day. So, first and foremost, here’s wishing every woman in the world a beautiful and happy Women’s Day.

Women are an example of strength, determination and endless power, unconditional love and what not! No offence, dear men, but women are the ones who have been bestowed with unmatched strength by God that makes them special in their own way.

Every Women’s Day, while wishing every other woman in our life a good life, we also remember the female heroes in the world for their remarkable achievements. We all know Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, Kiran Bedi, Mary Kom and Bachendri Pal. But, there are more woman heroes in the world than we know who have risen from zero and achieved success in their life with their determination, hope and strength. One amongst them is Ms. Jyothi Reddy.


Ms. Jyothi Reddy is a living inspiration to the world, a ray of hope for every individual in the world and not only women, to go ahead, chase one’s dreams and emerge successful. Her inspiring story begins from zero and ends where she is now a hero in the true sense of the word.

So the story begins when Jyothi was merely in her teens. She was born into a poor family and had three siblings. Since her father could not support and feed all the children, Jyothi and one of her siblings had to live in an orphanage on the pretext of having lost their mother to fate. Young and sensitive, Jyothi obviously did not have a good childhood staying away from her family in an orphanage. 

One night, on Maha Shivratri, Jyothi, along with her friends at the orphanage, went out for a movie, a love story that fascinated her and inspired her to free herself from the clutches of fate and build a better life that spells success and love. Since then, Jyothi’s dreams changed forever and she dreamt of marrying someone whom she loved dearly.

Fate, however, played a bad role and she was married off to a poor farmer by her parents when she was merely 15. Of course, her dreams crashed! While she had dreamt of marrying her love and leading a rich life, she was married off to another poor man who she hadn’t even known anytime in life. Her fate only expected her to toil in the farms all day, under the scorching sun and prepare dinner for her family after returning home in the evening.

Also, within two years, Jyothi had become a mother to two daughters. At that time, her earning was merely Rs. 5 per day. Naturally, she could do nothing special for her daughters no matter how much she yearned for it. She did not have money to buy them toys, clothes or medicines and all she could do was dream and hope that one day her fate would change.

Since she had lived in an orphanage before marriage, Jyothi knew the plight of girls who lived away from their families. In order to teach them and give them a better life, Jyothi soon began teaching at a small orphanage in Telangana. Soon after, she was promoted. She now visited multiple schools and orphanages all over Warangal in Telangana to teach children and secure a good future for them.

This is when her life took a turn for the good. An educated woman that she was, she now started dreaming bigger and better. She realized that she was not born to be a farm labourer in a small village and that she could achieve something bigger with her determination and strength. 

This is when the idea of visiting the US struck her mind. With the help of a cousin who motivated her to shift to the US, she managed to visit the country, find a job there and settle down temporarily. Once in the US, Jyothi took up many odd jobs before she finally decided to start her own business. In the meanwhile, she completed many courses in computers from some reputed institutions and she now had the knowledge, skills, perseverance and determination of becoming an entrepreneur.

In 2000, Jyothi founded the company Key Software Solutions which is now a $15 million IT empire. When success started rushing her way, she brought her husband and children to the US as well and settled down there for the good. 

Today, she owns about 6 houses in the US and 2 in India. She also had a dream of driving a car since her childhood which she now lives by driving a Mercedes Benz. 

Where once she did not have even a single pair of shoes to wear and had to walk miles barefoot to reach school, she now owns over 200 pairs of shoes! Where she did not have money to buy a sari back in Telangana, she now has saris worth lakhs of rupees. 


 And that’s not it. She now works with multiple associations across India that contribute to the education of girls and empower women to change their fortunes. Every year, she makes it a point to visit India to celebrate her birthday at orphanages with girls and children who are deprived of a quality life that they deserve.

Truly, she is a living legend! The Kakatiya University, that had once rejected her for a job opportunity, now has an entire chapter on her in English that is read by multiple students. She has literally made the impossible possible and lives a quality life today.

Jyothi has shown us that nothing can stop a person from reaching his goals once he or she is ignited with passion, determination and hope. No matter whether it is a man or a woman, one can achieve anything in the world with sheer patience and passion.

Now that’s a story worth sharing with the world on Women’s Day, isn’t it?

Monday 7 March 2016

It Doesn’t Make You A Leader, Kanhaiya Kumar!



By now, the entire nation knows who Kanhaiya Kumar is and I need not give any introduction. The clever chap has risen to fame as any other celebrity or politician and has managed to remain in the news for quite a lot of time now. Presenting himself as a youth icon, a classic and living example of the ‘freedom of speech’, Mr. Kumar has played wisely to get an effortless entry into politics. Or, dirty politics, if I were to be more precise! But, dear Mr. Kanhaiya Kumar, that does not make you a leader!

Okay, this guy, Mr. Kumar has undoubtedly played well I must say. By now, every other true Indian at heart has recognized his bad game and strategy to shoot to fame and enter politics. The guy first controversially raised anti-India slogans and subsequently got arrested which got him immense fame, not only in India but across the world. His arrest made headlines even in the international media and the issue became more sensitive than ever.

Then, we have a set of many educated fools in India who supported the guy, criticized the government, demanded his release and also debated on the issue. And, as we have a great media that is always TRP-hungry, the guy got more publicity than ever, than he actually deserves and the issue became a national concern. After he was released on bail, Mr. Kumar has been making speeches at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), questioning the government and criticizing the Prime Minister, Mr. Modi. The poor guy feels that he is a leader now, or that is what some fools and the media are portraying him as!

But, Mr. Kanhaiya Kumar, no! You are not a leader! Yes I agree that you have played a wise game, you are now a popular person, the media, and some people are now projecting you as a leader and you have good prospects to enter into politics. But that really doesn’t make you a leader! A leader is someone to who understands the problems and agony of his country, of his people and emerges with solutions to curb them. They don’t stand on a stage and merely highlight problems or criticize the government.

Mr. Kumar wants to prove to the nation that he is very patriotic and cares about the present and future of Indians. But he has miserably failed in my opinion. For, a patriotic person is the one who loves his country and does something for it. You may not have the courage to go to the borders and safeguard our nation and that is perfectly okay. But at least, don’t extend your support to terrorists who don’t have any religion of patriotism, not even humanity. They are the vulture who only desire to kill people. And, supporting a terrorist makes you equally guilty as much as Afzal Guru was!

I don’t understand what is wrong with the youth of today. Of course, I don’t mean to generalize here, but there have been a few youngsters who have come up recently in the name of patriotism, religion, and caste to criticize the government and ask for their rights. We had Mr. Hardik Patel, a mere 21-year old, who rose as a leader to ask for reservations for the Patidar Samaj in Gujarat. And now, we have another sensation, Mr. Kumar, who thinks shouting slogans and serving a few days in jail has made him a leader, an orator and an icon of the youth.

Youth are the most valued assets of any nation. They are the future of the nation that they live in and they are supposed to safeguard the country while taking it to new heights of progress with their knowledge, skills and expertise. But, youth today have been becoming more destructive than ever, one again, I don’t mean to generalize here, but the last few months has proved this enough. They yearn for quick publicity and desire to become leaders. Of course, this is a good thing but the path chosen for this kind of fame and publicity has been leading them to more destruction than ever.


Both Hardik Patel and Kanhaiya Kumar have distinguished skills, good orator skills, and the capability to become leaders. If only, they would have used their knowledge and skills in a positive way, India would have seen more capable people contributing to its development and growth!

Thursday 3 March 2016

The ‘SELFIE’ Bug


I certainly do not need giving any introduction to this topic. The ‘Selfie’ bug, by far, seems to have bitten all and people can’t help but take more and more of selfies every day! Whether it is a random day at work, a shopping outing or a dinner date, ek selfie to banta hi hai, right guys? But what people can do to take one unusual and unique selfie is becoming more of a concern these days.

Who doesn’t like getting clicked? Of course, we all do! And, with sharing pictures on social media and chat applications becoming so popular these days, teens and even adults are just going gaga over selfies. Everyone wants to have one, a cool and unique one that would fetch over hundreds of likes on social media and make them popular among their circles.

And, why not? Photographs are the best forms of memories you can collect and live the special moments of your life days, months and even years later. Naturally, taking pictures and selfies has been becoming a rage in the modern times because every smartphone now has a brilliant camera, multiple easy photo-sharing apps and Facebook and Instagram, of course. But, to what extent the ‘selfie’ fever goes is something worth watching.

Just go to Google and type ‘selfie deaths’! A number of links appear- some news, some listicles and even photographs that show the horror of the issue. People literally have been going selfie-crazy, and, by the word crazy, I literally mean crazy! You even have a Wikipedia page in the name ‘List of Selfie-related injuries and death’ that provides information about selfie-accidents from 2014 to present. And, it is not funny!

Selfies are now becoming a leading cause of death among teenagers and youngsters. Most statistics reveal that the people who have attempted dangerous stunts for taking selfies and died or injured in the meanwhile are in the age group of 13-30. These are our youngsters, the future of our nation and also the world. No wonder, the desire to get popular among friends often drives them to take such extreme steps but to what extent we go purely depends on our own.

Of course, teenagers and youngsters in their twenties are not kids to not understand the ill-effects of trying dangerous stunts. People have died taking selfies while leaning on cliffs, climbing on high-rise buildings or standing on the edges of hills. Any sane person can naturally sense the danger while he or she is standing at the edge of a hill or leaning on a cliff. But the desire to get clicked and post pictures on social media has taken over the fear of losing one’s life, it seems! And, that’s why the word- CRAZY!

‘Selfie’, more than a trend has been becoming a threat to people these days. It seems to be a disease that is infecting everyone, especially youngsters and driving them to do unwanted things and stunts despite knowing the dangers they offer to one’s life. In my opinion, the rising ‘selfie-craze’ needs to be treated, with counselling and medication, so that people refrain from indulging into dangerous activities just to get clicked.

It completely depends on us on how far we choose to go or how soon we choose to limit ourselves. It is certainly not a bad thing to click pictures, make memories, preserve them and upload them on social media to share your beautiful moments with the world. But we should choose our own finish line and recognize the dangers of stunting for selfies.