What are you doing with your freedom?

I’m sorry, guys, for the disappearing act. You tend to forget things at times when you are right here in the middle of the action. There are speeches to be made, presentations to be prepared and people to be pleased…you know how it goes.

Anyway, we just celebrated Republic Day last Tuesday. Like we do every year. So what’s the big deal huh? It’s just a day. We became economically free on the day but so what?.

What you are effing doing with that freedom? Doing the drills? Screaming, “forward march” and tearing through others’ tympanum? There’s more, gentlemen.

Your blood is boiling? You want to set the damn country straight? Raise your voice. You don’t have to do something drastic as pull off a coup d'état or shoot the defense minister down. Start small. Just raise your voice. Exercise your freedom of speech.

Like today, the guy at the mess handed me a really worn and dingy twenty rupee note. I knew, by the time it was my turn to hand it over to someone else, it wouldn’t be alive. So I just asked him, “Do you have a better note?” You don’t have to take crap. Getting new notes is your birthright. Don’t suffer in silence.

Another incident where I raised my voice. A visiting faculty member here in MIC has not been turning up for classes lately. I called him up and said “Hi. You’ve got a class today.” He was shocked out of his wits, of course. Nobody from MIC had probably ever done that before. He made some excuse and promised to come for the next class, which was supposed to be today. I called him again. He didn’t come again, but has promised to, next week. He better turn up.

Start taking up people’s case if you think they’re screwing things up. If you can do it with a bit of humour, good enough, but it’s not necessary. You can be just plain straightforward as well. “Dude, this is not done, okay?”

So sit up, you folks. Raise your voice. Exercise freedom. Don’t take crap.

re-public day

Now first thing's first.. I would like to wish all of you:

Happy Republic Day!

Jai Hind!

Anyway, getting back to the point. I would like to make an announcement on Republic day. This blog is for the janta i.e. the public. The blog is today declared re-publican. On this blog, from today onwards, reading interests of the public will be taken into consideration. I hear from many sources that I must try and innovate more with my PJs. But if the standard of PJs are raised, do you think they would be PJs at all?

Heh!

Another one..

Be kind my re-publican readers. Criticise, comment, freedom is your right! And, that's what we are advocating through this festival. Freedom of expression, through A19.. Full on!

A few days ago, we got some more news about the moolah that matters. Union Bank has agreed to sponsor power-off-for-an-hour! Yipee! More money! You know, we can be hippie and say, money can't buy us love, but the truth remains, love can't buy us money either. So, it's all clear and simple. Money is most of what we need.

Now, besides this jazz, I must tell you another interesting something.. Mike Pandey, one of the country's most acclaimed documentary film-maker and wild-life activist has agreed to judge our entries for Documentary Express. Isn't that cool? The going just got tougher! And, the time is such that the tough should get going as well. The registrations being open is big news, you know..

All the volunteers are all enthused about Article 19. The publicity and other work is on in full swing. The college is shaken up with Article 19 meetings every single day, between 6 to 7 pm. Buzz and business of Article 19 is leaving most of the students breathless.

That's it from the Bijlee bulletin, no more news is worth being the breaking news. No Prince fell into any hole, after all.. Nor did any Aishwarya Rai get pregnant! Eh, commercialization of content in journalism, something like that.. All of this is and more, to be discussed at MMSC this year. Well, we got some food for thought there!

I shall bid adieu to all of you, please supply me with your honest opinion in the form of comments so that I can improve and all that. But just remember, my improvement is losing the essence of a PJ!

Oh yeah, one last thing.. I still don't see the point of power-off-for-an-hour! In the process of saving electricity, they are turning me off! I need a turn on!

Hope your heads be wise!