Monday, June 18, 2007

Thank You God!

Another Sunday, a day to laze and do nothing (as if I do a lot). As I lay in bed, deciding how to spend time, my dad came and told me that there was an exam that day and a visually handicapped person was appearing in it. So they needed a scribe. He asked me if I was willing to take up the job. I thought for a while, and since there was no good movie to watch, I said yes.
I reached the exam centre and roamed around. When I told the people there as to why I had come, they all smiled. I was informed that no visually handicapped person had ever appeared for the exam and so I could just sit back and relax.
I sat down in the control room with a book. Suddenly the chief examiner told me that the candidate had arrived. So I marched into the room and sat down beside him. The man was in his late 20s and he was a teacher. He had a very high power in his eyes and he could just see the outlines of objects. He told me that his subject was mathematics and he had read everything through audio medium.
The first paper was objective. As I read out the questions, I could see him concentrating hard. I felt helpless as I saw him solve mathematics questions in his mind. It was a tedious procedure. I had to read out each question a number of times for him.
And then I realized that he had actually given his whole future in my hands. I had just come here, as I was a free. But he had come all the way from another city to write this exam, which would ascertain his whole career. If I did not put in effort to read the problems in the proper way, then he would be unable to solve them. With this thought, I resumed my work with increased effort.
The second paper was subjective which was even more difficult. I noticed that he solved only those questions where you were required to prove something. I understood that the questions, in which some value was supposed to be found, were obviously difficult for him.
At the end of the paper, he thanked me for being a good scribe. On hearing this, I felt happy. I thanked God for giving me the opportunity to help that person. The person’s determination inspired me. It was a learning experience for me.

I was reminded of these lines:
I complained that I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Right To Equality!

I have always believed in the equality of men and women. What a man can do, so can a woman and vice versa. And finally, the world is also realising this(especially the vice versa part).
Yesterday, as I sat and watched the idiot box(not again, you may say), my attention was caught by an advertisement. The product being endorsed was a men's sunscreen lotion. The model was shown riding a motorcycle and then applying the lotion, while a voice in the background informed us about the 5 superb effects of the lotion, and so on and so forth.
I almost did a somersault on seeing this. Men have, at last, come of age and are acceptng that they also wish (and need) to groom themselves. Countless other products have also hit the market shelves like fairness creams and shampoos which are exclusively for men. Women, it is time to be cautious. Men have also entered the arena and are enjoying it!
But I must say, that even I ( a campaigner for equality) had a heart attack, when in my first year, i saw with my very own eyes,the numerous beauty products which guys used( Shehnaz herbal creams, L'Oreal shampoos and the odd ones even owned lip gloss!) Gradually, news started trickling in about their grooming expenses which left us bewildered. And the last nail in the coffin was driven, when one of my classmates shared his acne troubles with me and suggested remedies to cure mine( and they worked!)
So, I have accepted that boys are no longer boys. They have treaded into the so-called female do main and are loving it. Right now, the trend has gained only limited acceptance, but will soon be the In-Thing. I don't like the term metrosexual, so all I would say is, Welcome, To the New Age Man.