Legalization of Prostitution-Dilemma of a Cultured Society

Though prostitution has always been there as the oldest profession but people still shy away from talking about it. As a result, the outcry of those associated to this profession goes unnoticed. Prostitutes who suffer the harassment almost daily could not have a say against the atrocious cruelty of our society. We in the guise of a civilized society keep our eyes shut under the false pretense that the problem does not exist. Isn’t it time for us to awaken? When would we stop using morality as an excuse to sideline matters of such importance?

 In our country, few ministers defend rapists by saying that men have sexual needs and at the same time they oppose the proposal to consider prostitution equivalent to any other profession. What kind of hypocrisy is this? Diverse responses have been received in the matter of regulating prostitution. In India, Prostitution is not illegal; if a prostitute works for self and uses her own premises for clients she is conducting herself lawfully. Then why does police book and harass prostitutes? Police does that under provisions like public indecency or public nuisance of Indian Penal Code .The reason behind this injustice is because prostitutes are not protected by law.

 The need is not to allow soliciting of customers at public places but to form a regulatory body that would ensure protection of prostitutes against any form of harassment by police or customers. Proper regulation will make it mandatory to maintain health cards that would keep a check against sexually transmitted diseases. If legal status is provided to prostitution, labor laws could also be extended to prostitutes. An effective legislation can put an end to trafficking, as prostitutes will have to get themselves registered.

According to Daily Mail, with the closure of brothels in 1959, Queensland, in Australia, experienced a 149% increase in incidents of rape. So, it is evident that legalizing prostitution can help in reducing sexual violations too. If we bring the profession of prostitution under the net of taxation, the money could be utilized in rehabilitation of those who are willing to change their profession.

There are a lot of benefits of regulating prostitution, but a lot needs to be done if we seek proper implementation. Legalization does not ensure development, so while implementing the above mentioned points; the ultimate motive should remain human development. Strict regulations need to be put up to ensure credibility of the health cards so they won’t create a false sense of security in customers. 

Few critics argue that legalization would increase the demand which would further increase trafficking to keep the trade going. Let’s put it this way, In India alcohol consumption is illegal in few states. If government lifts up the ban, do you think everyone residing in that state will start consuming alcohol? Of course not! Those who want to would already be doing it anyhow, and Prostitution, moreover, is the oldest profession which has always been there. No matter how much our society pretends to rule out its existence, it will still be there like it has always been. So, why not to accept the reality instead of blunt refusal? Why can’t we bring it up rather than bogging it down? For a moment refrain from thinking about ourselves or our so called moral benchmarks and think about those who suffer daily. The trauma they undergo lies beyond our understanding. Let’s listen to those millions of voices which were lost in all the ruckus of wrong or right. Let’s empower them to fight for their rights and enable them to live a better life.

Namma Bengaluru, My time at The City of Gardens

Spending seven years out of my home has left me with a strange confidence which has lead me to strange desires, desires to explore more,  to dig into new places, to learn different cultures, languages and values. When one such opportunity landed in front of me, I grabbed it with all my might. It was a chance to be at a place I had never been to, Bangalore, the City of Gardens. The home-town of my first crush, The Wall, not of China of course. So, just the thought of it was pretty amusing to me. Amongst all the confusion to go by train or flight, I finally winded up booking a train to Bangalore with one of my friends as a companion. It got even more exciting for all the love of trains I share with Sheldon Cooper ;)

On the day of travel, I reached at the railway station; as soon as I boarded the train, I got my things to the places they belonged, grabbed all sorts of snacks, drinks and a book to jump to my upper berth as early as I could. There is no feeling in the world better than sitting at the upper berth like a King (Queen I mean ;)) with nothing to do with all the adjustments going on lower berths or all the vendors passing by, time and again. It was a 36 hours journey but the time passed pretty quickly. As I got off the train after the longest train journey I ever had, I paused at the platform for a moment to see if I had that dizzy feeling or the earth moving beneath my feet. But I felt nothing, train’s journey agrees with me I suppose.

It was pretty late at night so I stayed at a friend’s place to regain the stamina so I could search for a place for myself the next day.  Amazingly, next day I had to report to my office and find a PG as well. So, I had everything planned in my mind the night before. The place I was staying was pretty far away from my office so instead of coming back to take my luggage I decided to take it with me and look for the PG in the morning itself before reporting to the office.

I got up early and left for my search of a new home. Boarded a local bus but could not find myself a seat so I kept swaying from one corner of the fully crowded bus to another but it could not lessen my enthusiasm for the new place I was in. I was pretty amused to see female bus conductor and kept smiling at her out of my amusement. She smiled back probably on my flittering movements with each and every turn all through various hallis of Bangalore. Somehow I managed to reach at my destination, Kundanahalli. Luckily I had a friend living in the same locality. With advanced technology, adjusting to entirely new place has become really convenient. You can get all the details with assistance in a nick of time. I had got the details of few PGs one day before and got to explore the first one on my list. The owner was a really nice lady with most beautiful smile. With a minimal list of my requirements, I finalized the very first PG I saw.

Two months passed pretty quickly. It was far too less to explore a city like Bangalore. But still I tried my best to at least capture the beauty of it. I met some amazing people, age-old friends, tried delicious Punjabi food at Kapoor’s Café, the scrumptious Poha-Jalebi of Bikaner Sweets, laser tag at IAmGame, morning walk at Cubbon Park that somehow lasted till the evening :P, danced on a giant piano at Visvesvaraya Museum, had first had experience of kayaking, paint ball, back floating, driving ATV bike at FeverPitch, karaoke at Innovative Filmcity, and even roamed around the streets of Bangalore in the middle of the night that too without any male escort, that’s something I could not even think of exhibiting in North.

And of course, the internship which gave me this opportunity, I will definitely post my detailed internship experience in my next post. The city of Bangalore brought with itself some memorable moments which I will cherish until my next visit, till then Aish Maadi J

Anatomy of a Dream

‘Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you’-Marsha Norman Dream, a glimpse into the world beyond the ordinary, it takes you to another world; you can be anywhere, with anyone. It’s the world with no limitations and no obligations, a place where your soul is free of all the worldly affairs. But where do these dreams come from? Are they a random manifestation of our mind or do they have a meaning? Who can tell, different people have different perceptions.

A lot of discoveries have been made only after recognition through dreams. Dreams have led to some extraordinary achievements, right from world’s first science fiction novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, had it not been to those moments of dream insights, the world would have been devoid of these amazing scientific discoveries.

I, for one believe dreams give us a way to look into our subconscious mind. We usually dream whatever lies in our subconscious mind. It might be a secret fear, an unfulfilled desire or a deep longing, but it always shows whatever lies within us. Sometimes it presents a different perspective that we did not take notice of or something we were not willing to accept despite its existence. Whatever it might be but we only dream about things we strongly believe in. It is a mirror that shows what lies within our soul.

 When God created us (If you believe God exists and has created all of the humanity otherwise take it as a scientific knowledge), he vested us with two kinds of powers, a power to think objectively with a practical intent of mind without letting our feelings lose and the second one, which most of us have forgotten, for we have lost control of it. Nevertheless, it is our subconscious mind, the one which has nothing to do with practicality.

Every day we have millions of thoughts, it’s like our brain is on autopilot. We cannot possibly hold the reins of our drifting mind and neither can we be aware of each and every thought; but as Morris Goodman has said, “A man becomes what he thinks about”, it becomes colossally important for us to keep track of our thoughts. It sounds very exhausting, doesn’t it? But to work it out, God has given us the power of subconscious mind.

Our subconscious mind is very sensitive to our thoughts. It believes every thought to be true without any objective consideration, for it is not aware of the practical world. It does not know how to filter or manipulate things. It is like that innocent girlfriend/boyfriend of yours who believes every word you say to be true, without doubting any of it. The subconscious mind is submissive, if you say you are the next Michael Jackson of the world, it will believe you and you might end up moon walking in your dreams.

The world is full of chaos and this pandemonium has drifted us apart from ourselves. How many of you only realized it after becoming an engineer that it was the last profession you ever wanted to opt for? It has happened because somewhere amidst the turmoil of life we lost the connection to ourselves. We could not make out what we actually wanted and it all lead us to an estranged path which makes us feel more distant than ever.

One simple thing can save us all from this tragedy of life. It’s listening to our dreams because they are the windows to our subconscious mind. Only through them can we realize the deep dwelling beliefs that we are holding on to. If you ever feel disheartened or confounded in your dream, raise the alarm as it’s your subconscious mind giving you a signal to change your thoughts. As it goes with Joseph Murphy's quote, “Change your thoughts and you will change your destiny”. Change them to choose happiness and abundance and you will see how it manifests into your dreams and ultimately into your life as something magnificent. And all this can be carried out by confiding in your dreams as Khalil Gibran has said, “Trust in dreams, for in them is the hidden gate to eternity”. So hold on to your dreams and write your golden fate to choose health, happiness, love and life.

In pursuit of a World without Discrimination

Richard Loitam, a second-semester student of Architecture in Bangalore, was found dead in his hostel room. The family members and friends alleged that he was assaulted brutally by his seniors. Dana Sangma a 21 year old MBA student, committed suicide in her hostel room. Nido Tania, a 20 year old student, was beaten to death with iron rods. All these incidents have one thing in common. All the victims belonged to a particular region of our country. The country which touts so proudly about Unity in Diversity, failed at multiple instances to exhibit the same sentiments.

Does belonging to a particular region make you less Indian than any other citizen of the country? Does different physical appearance imply you will be treated differently in your own country? Why people have set their own parameters to judge anyone? There have been multiple cases of discrimination against north-east Indians, like over-charging of rent, calling them by derogatory names, physical and mental harassment. All these examples signify how superficial our thinking has become. We don’t accept people who come to our city for sake of getting a good education or employment, yet we say proudly that our country provides us the freedom to reside and settle in any part of our country. We want our freedom yet we breach other’s right to freedom. What kind of hypocrisy is this?

Protests have been staged to assert the need of strong anti-racism laws in our country. People took a stand against the racial discrimination. Candle light processions were held. Government promised strict action against the perpetrators. Bezbaruah committee was formulated to research and suggest the measures to be taken to bring the situation under control. The panel identified the need in amendment to our existent laws, proposing two amendments. The proposed Section 153-C pertains to imputations and assertions prejudicial to human dignity and makes words or signs attempting to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, a non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment up to five years with fine. The proposed Section 509-A attempts to make any word, gesture or act intended to insult a member of a particular race with imprisonment that may extend to three years with fine.

Some of the other commendable initiatives include, police exchange programs with north-indian states, special helpline number 1093 for northeast people, Incorporation of north-indian history and contribution to freedom in school curriculum, promoting their cultural heritage and sports. All these recommendations are to be implemented in upcoming months. Undoubtedly, Bezbaruah committee has done a tremendous job in identifying the measures to be taken. We are looking forward to the actual implementation, in the hope to be able to speak out loud that YES, we believe in our country’s Unity in Diversity. Yes, we believe that a day would come when there would be no need to state, for it would be testified by the absence of any such cases of discrimination to our own brothers and sisters.

Jack, not a dull boy anymore

In today’s fast-paced world, people often forget to take a break. The No-Break work culture takes control and leaves you drowned in work with no time left for yourself. The ever increasing competition forces an individual to participate in the rat race and as expected, you do. With full power, you do participate, just to win, to make yourself feel more accomplished. But just take a break from your modus operandi and think is it worth it? All those weekends you spent away from your family, working like a machine, without any time for recreation, are they directing you towards your ultimate goal or taking away your peace of mind, leaving you even more frustrated? It’s not at all wrong to be competitive or to have a desire to win but you should keep in mind that even if you emerge as a winner, you will still be a rat.

In India, spending more time in office is considered to be an essential trait of a hard working employee.Also, it is not uncommon for the employee to leave the office late only after the employer has left, even if work for the day was done on time. However, the culture across the globe is practiced differently. At some places, strict working hours are followed while at others working late is an established custom.The emphasis should be on quality of work than on quantity of time spent in the office. The problem arises from the habit of not adhering to strict timelines. Humans have a tendency to start their work at the eleventh hour. People often push aside the timelines. There is a need to realize that your work culture not only affects the organization you are working for but it also impacts each and every individual who is related to you in some way or another. Above all, it affects you, the working individual.

In the humdrum of work, you might lose all the creativity. To keep up with the changing environment, there is a need to take some time off to introspect, where you fit in. Take some time off, go on a break, analyze and then come back. Don’t confound yourself in the potpourri of tasks. Slow down a little bit. There is a possibility that when you were busy in the caboodle of work, you missed something wonderful. 

Enjoy the journey of life as you travel through it. Don’t forget to steal a glimpse once in a while. Excess of anything could destroy you. As Friedrich Nietzsche has rightly put, ’The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness’. Don’t let anything hamper your inner joy. Engage yourself in some recreational activity. Take up your hobby and pursue it with full intent. Remember that saying from your childhood, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. It’s time for Jack to shine now.

Dear Stress, Let’s Break up

Dev has been working in an IT company for last 5 years. News has been spread by the word of mouth that the company management is planning to sack a substantial number of workforce. Dev has just got married. The news has left him distressed. The guy who used to make everybody laugh with his witty jokes has now been transformed into a downhearted person. Nobody can tell if he is the same guy who used to advise everybody to take life in a lightsome way. The humorous Dev has become dispirited Dev whom no one notices in office now.

Rita has another story. She is an ambitious girl who has always been busy working towards a bright career. She never had time for relationships. Now, she is turning 30, her family wants her to marry a guy they have chosen for her. She doesn’t doubt her parent’s choice, but she is concerned about her future. She believes that it takes time to build new relationships. But her family wants her to get married as soon as possible; otherwise, it would be difficult to find a groom for their 30+ daughter, as they put it. Rita has turned gloomy. She has not been able to concentrate on her job since then.

These stories exhibit very few instances of stressful situations one might face. There can be so many other situations that can cause Stress. Human beings have a need to feel safe and secure. We often forget that we cannot count on things to always remain the same. There are certain incidents we have no control over. But they can turn our world upside down. Disruptions are sure to happen. Life can never be as smooth as we want it to be. We just need to handle the disruptions in such a way that they might not lead to another disruption. Otherwise, it would result in a vicious cycle and we would get stuck.

Stress is inevitable but we can always learn to cope with it. There are various techniques to handle stress. We just have to find the one that works for us. First of all, we need to identify that we are undergoing through stress. Friends can be of great help, as they are the ones who would notice even a slight difference in our behavior. We should listen to them. Once we have identified then we can start analyzing the reason which is causing the stress. Try to get social support, discuss our problem with someone we trust. When we are under stress, it affects our capacity to think clearly. Discussing our problem can lead us to a solution that we might have missed before. Consider what we can control and what we can’t. We can’t do anything about the uncontrollable things. What we can do is control our reaction.

Just a small shift in our mindset can help us to go through the tough times. Avoid negative people or anything that gives negative vibes. Try relaxation techniques, opt for meditation. Much like exercise, research has shown that meditating can reap great benefits. Stress is the trash of modern life- we all generate it but if we don’t dispose it properly it will pile up and overtake our life. Moreover, after few years we won’t even remember why we felt so stressed, so why stress about it now? Don’t hold on to those stressful feelings, give stress wings and let it fly, far away from us.

Disarray of a Compassionate Heart

As it started to dawn, my alarm rang. It was a rare occasion when I woke up at wee hours of the morning. I got ready at the earliest and rushed to the railway station. I skipped the breakfast, so my mother packed it for the journey. I got to the railway station just in time. While running towards the platform, I checked my train’s status. It was late by 20 minutes. I heaved a sigh of relief and started moving towards the platform casually as if I was cautious enough to reach at the railway station before the scheduled arrival of the train.

I took a seat in the waiting area. Railway stations are like my second home. I have spent a hell lot of time at railway stations, thanks to our Indian railways, which is accustomed to late arrivals. However, I have always found railway station to be an amusing place. You get to see so many forms of human feelings, from happiness of receiving a long gone relative to the sadness of seeing off someone who will be gone for quite a while. All around you see mothers pampering their kids and telling them what to-do and what not to do, fathers worrying about their kids well being. A huge upsurge of human emotions, all at one place. Quite endearing isn’t it.

As I waited there, quietly observing different colors of human interactions, I kept on glancing from one place to another. Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of a beggar. He was quite old; his body was covered with rags. His situation was really miserable. He kept on wandering here and there, probably in search of food. I have always felt pity of those who don’t even have access to basic amenities we enjoy so profoundly and at times take for granted. My heart was moved at his situation. I offered him food that my mother had packed for me. He took it from me and went to a place at some distance to eat. I felt glad that I could be of help to someone in need. A lot of thoughts kept cropping up on my mind. I was thinking how lack of education and jobs has rendered so many people helpless that they had to opt for beggary in order to survive.

Lost in my thoughts, I stood up at the announcement of my train’s arrival. I took a glance at that old man. To my surprise, he sat at the same place smoking a cigarette. I stood stunned, the man was begging for food as he could not afford it, but he could spare money to buy cigarettes. The same person for whom I felt pity a little while ago was causing the feeling of disgust in me. It’s not always anyone else’s fault, people are responsible for their own circumstances, I thought to myself. There is a quotation that my mother always cites, "A man is not a slave of circumstances, he is the creator, controller and master of them". With this, I hushed up my drifting thoughts and boarded the train.