Wednesday, July 2, 2008

‘…simply stood and watched’

An article that intrigued me .... !!!!!! What would you have done ??????????????

‘…simply stood and watched’

It was 2.00 p.m. I got down from my bus on the relatively traffic-free St. Mary’s road in Abiramipuram. I had barely crossed the road, when I heard an auto stop on the opposite side. I turned back with a few others to see a woman get out abruptly while shouting “Did you hear what he said to me?” Her friend got out behind her. They were both in their mid 20s, clad in jeans and shirts and were decent looking. I turned back to resume my walk home.
Suddenly I could feel a change in the air around me. I turned again only to be a witness of one of the most disturbing sights I have ever seen. The woman, who had yelled to her friend, was fighting furiously with the auto driver, or rather defending herself against his beating. He was also using his slippers to beat her and was abusing her using obscene language. The only help came in the form of her friend who tried hard to hold the driver back, but to no avail. By this time cars had stopped and every passer-by was transfixed, watching the scene, as if petrified.
After a few minutes, the auto driver sped away, still shouting back obscenities. Then, as if on cue, everyone started moving, like they had just emerged out of a trance. Not one of them had a second glance for the trembling women. Two o’clock in the afternoon on a busy road, an auto driver attacks a woman, and everybody stands to watch, as if it was a live show put up for them. When I say everybody, I include myself. I could have intervened; at least could have asked people to help. But I didn’t. I was one among the crowd, who passively let such things go past me without standing up for fellow human beings. May be the others were as shocked as I or may be things happened so quickly that people did not have time to react.
Yet, there could have been someone in the crowd to help two women in dire need. There should have been someone. But there were none. I do not know what happened in the auto while the three were travelling. But something that someone said had triggered an awful scene. Having witnessed what the auto driver was capable of doing in public, it would be no wonder if it was his doing. But whatever the cause was, its effect was immense, not only to the people directly involved, but to me as well.
When something like this happens in your neighbourhood and in front of your eyes, you tend to question many things. I am now perplexed about how such incidents can happen in broad daylight on the streets of one of the ’safest’ cities in the country. I am revolted by the behaviour of the auto driver. I am infuriated at the people who just stood and watched. But mostly, I am furious with myself: for being one of those who simply stood and watched.
Sindhiya Ravi, III Year, English Literature, WCC

COURTESY-NXG-THE HINDU !

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

DAY II

Check this out
http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/06/30/stories/2008063050980100.htm <---That's the article in THE HINDU, regarding the second round on selections for Airtel Super Singer !!!!!
At 8:30 AM, on a fine Monday morning, Santhome was Abuzz with 200 odd contestants and their parents, for round 3 of Airtel Super Singer selection, aka elimination round.
All participants were asked to line up according to roll numbers ! Now, oru school maadiri feeling !Me was the second contestant !!!! Ha .. nadukkam started way back though !!!!! From 2000, 202 were selected for the Monday auditions ! And apparently, 15 were going to be picked for the next round !!!!!! How non-scary !!!!!!

I was rehearsing non-stop during my time in the queue, till a relative came up !!! Orey bore ! Anyway.. the thing is .. there were the cameramen agian, instructing us to talk/not-talk,walk-in-line/stop et al ! Pretty irritating ! And, around 10:45 AM, we were there at the auditorium at the basement, lined up to get new tags !!! A new 007 :P...!!! For some time pass, Chinmayi was entertaining the crowd(BWAHAHAHAHA) with some teasers, questions and embarrassments !!!!! The most irritating moments were, when a few members(aka participants) of the crowd were perennially given importance over the others ... WHY !!!!!! And I'm not mentioning them over here .. Sorry !!!!! I'ts not jealousy that works here .. it's just lack of courtesy to invite and involve everyone else, amidst well-known-faces from TV channels ! Anyway, chuck that !!!

The judges were introduced. Today it was going to be a pair of judges .. Deepan and Sunitha !!! From what people told me on Friday, Sunitha was pretty harsh on people during selection, as in, STRICT-types !!!!!! And surely, I'd have to meet her today. Since ours was the first batch of contestants, we were constantly given instructions, and scared...nothing less !!!!!!! Another round of seating arrangements inside ... and after like half an hour, Mr 001 Went in !!!!!! H e sang close to four lines, and BEEP!!!! Red it was : Disappointing !!!!! Next was me, and I was shivering from head to toe (765 KHz) . I go in, and Deepan remembered me from the Cold-and-cough mania on Friday !!!!!!! Lol .. what a way to remember !!!!!! I go in *cough cough* ... they ask questions, *cough cough*, I answer *cough cough*. I tell the song I'm going to sing *cough cough*, start singing !!!!!! Deepan's quiet !!! Both of them do this (PART I)

1)Discuss...

2) Discuss

3) Discuss !

Oh Stop !

Sunitha asked me to try a different genre, and I did 4 lines of it !

[Repeat PART I]

Again they ask me to try a different genre !!!! Oh please .. something that tests my low ranges .. ! Now here's how you should learn how to torture someone who's already unable to sing ! Fine .. I did sing though lol !!!!

[Repeat Part I] :(

And .. some mini-lecture, and she says it's unfortunate, but they'll have to reject me .. I guess the Red thing did go off, coz I had closed my eyes, and not seen a thing ! .. and here I am, typing away whatever little I know of what went inside that auditorium !

Some brainies got spot selected ... and are too modest to accept !!!! I'm only too happy for them ! May you Rock on !!!!!!!!!! Apparently , Mr. Deepan was sitting there coz there was an empty seat !!!!! Sunitha didn't really have to take an upperhand !! Anyway, winners ki jai ho !!!!!!!!!