Vinayaka Chavithi

When I was at home in India, Vinayaka Chavithi was always an ocassion spent with family. I remember waking up to the wonderful smell of home-made (mom-made) prasadam and other specials, ofcourse after some coercion that its getting late for puja. It felt serene, eventhough it was just another day. There was a certain mood to the day.

My mom would be in "madi", so we (my bro and I) were not supposed to touch her until we had a 'head-bath' and were wearing new clothes. My brother and I would then decorate the "paalavelli" with kumkam, turmeric and fruits. The entire house smells great - karpooram, agarbatthi, fruits, flowers, patthri etc. It is just mesmerizing.

Dad would always lead the puja while mom is finishing up "maha naivedyam". I remember that the whole process would take about 3-4 hours, especially because we both had a million questions every year - What does that mean ? What is the story behind it ?... and sometimes just recollecting an answer we remembered from last year. It was great fun !

It is not the same, thousands of miles away from "home" where everyone has a tilak on their forehead, where everyone is wishing each other "Happy Vinayaka Chavithi", where you are counting the number of idols you have visited, where you are stuffed with the prasadam from every visit, where its a holiday even if its on a wednesday, where you get to shout "ganpati bappa morya" in real world and not on facebook, where you eat your favorite food (amma chethi vanta), where your parents bless you with their hands on your head, where you are happy to be home and your parents are happy that you are at home. It is just not the same, thousands of miles away...

Obey the laws !

I read this news about Shah Rukh Khan being detained and interrogated in Newark Intl Airport. Why is there such a big fuss about it ? Yes, he is a huge star, in India. Yes, he probably wont get involved in any terrorist activities. Yes, he was among Time magazine's 50 most influential people. So what ? Laws are meant to be obeyed. If his name pops up for random check, what are the authorities supposed to do. If you want to question that "random"ness, thats a different matter altogether.

Sanjay Dutt was not given a free pass in 1993 because he was a "star". A much bigger "star" like Sachin Tendulkar did not get a free pass when there was a case of misusing the flag, inspite of the great name and joy he brought to the country. They are all ordinary citizens of the country and the world who have to obey the laws and rules, just like anyone else.

In fact, a few years ago there was also talk about Bollywood actors and producers, including Shah Rukh, having connections with the underworld. If he gets a free pass, it is not unlikely that he or his family would be threatened and he would be forced to do something against his will. So stop this nonsense.

And on the other hand, to the critics of this episode who are saying that Shah Rukh is just doing this to create hype for his movie "My name is Khan" - Look at yourself in the mirror. You are more intelligent than that. You mean to say he got some people in the US immigration involved in this and orchestrated it ? If it really happened and he is using it for movie publicity, well, he is entitled to as long as it is harmless.

A couple of months ago, Dr. APJ Kalam, the most respected president of India, was frisked away and thoroughly checked. Being the humble and honorable man he is, he did not have any problem with that. Some people complained about the treatment meted out to him (but not as many that are complaining regarding Shah Rukh, what a shame?). Whose mistake is it ? The Indian government's. Someone from the Indian embassy in US should be at the airport to take care of the formalities.

We are all better off following rules. Remember, the law enforcement folks have to SUCCEED EVERYTIME to win, whereas the terrorists have to succeed JUST ONCE.