“We Indians are very tolerant of real-life injustices but are quite intolerant of unpalatable views/ expressions.”

Article 21 of the Constitution of India: Protection Of Life And Personal Liberty states that “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law,” yet we constantly witness a great deal of injustice done to the poor and helpless, or to those who cannot defend themselves. How many of us have stopped to help a person in need or even bring an injustice to light when we see it happening right under our noses? Have we ever put ourselves in the other’s shoes? No. All we do as bystanders to such atrocities is, make statements like “Thank god something like this has not happened to me!”

A columnist for the Times of India once juxtaposed the Indian affinity for “action versus inaction,” citing the suspension of Police Officers as being a prime example: Whenever a Police Officer is caught in a wrongdoing; he is merely suspended for a short period of time or transferred. The advantage of such an action lies in the fact that while it immediately appeases a public, angry over injustice, it does not actually tackle the heart of the problem itself; the errant officer will be back on duty within a few months. It amazes me how the police find their way to the front pages of leading Indian newspapers, but for all the wrong reasons. In the wake of the recent blasts that put all major cities on high alert, it’s interesting to see how the Bangalore police have taken a keen interest in investigations concerning the Ahmed family. Crimes against the city can most definitely wait, seeing how important the Ahmed family investigation is, conveniently putting city crimes in the back seat. Rape, murder or the heartless killings of the female foetus are all given less priority over stories that would guarantee the police media attention. Another example can be of the Aarushi murder case which gave the Noida police all the media attention they wanted.

Vote Bank politics played by Political parties in India are another prime example of how our society is transfixed on emotionally charged issues, such as the Ram Mandir or the Ramsethu, which bear little or no actual value as far as genuine issues, such as poverty, inflation and unemployment, plaguing the country are concerned. Thousands of women find themselves being victims of dowry deaths because their parents or families don’t want to do anything about it for the sake of their family’s dignity and reputation, which just happens to be fragile. Another reason people don’t go forward with any reports or complaints are the tedious, long procedures and the frustrating formalities that have to be followed up with continuous visits to courts. There is no simple procedure at public disposal and more often than not, lawyers are bought over by the defence, rendering all the time, money and efforts or any attempt of those less fortunate at justice, unsuccessful.

Indians are to a very great extent fascinated by Bollywood and all the glitz and glamour that accompanies it. They are more concerned about inconsequential gossip that surrounds the lives of the rich and famous but turn a blind eye to the multitude of crimes and injustices that envelopes or lives. Take for example the fact a man, hit by a train, lost his limbs but was made to suffer the excruciating pain because help or even the police were nowhere in sight. He endured the pain and bleeding for a good 2 hours before help arrived and he was taken to a hospital. The only humane thing done for him was that he was moved from the platform onto a bench. It is things like this that makes me wonder, “Where has our compassion and tolerance gone?”

“This is not England, or New Zealand or Australia, or whatever the fuck else. This is India. This is the land of the heart. This is where the heart is king man. The fucking heart. That's how we keep this crazy place together with the heart. Two hundred fucking languages and a billion people. India is the heart. It’s the heart that keeps us together. There is no place with people like my people, Lin. There is no heart like the Indian heart.” So writes author Gregory David Roberts in Shantaram. Robert’s novel, seeing Mumbai, and indeed India, from the eyes of an outsider, touches on some key concepts that make up the Indian psyche, a sufficient point of departure for our analysis of this peculiar habit that seems so unique to Indians. By quoting from Shantaram, I am only trying to highlight a very subtle but true fact that Indians think with their hearts and not their minds. They place emotions before facts. We don’t like bad ideas because we think with our hearts but at the same time we’re too apathetic about things that genuinely matter.

Charlene Flanagan

This was a class assignment for a module on Human Rights. I posted it here because I thought it was appropriate.

Screaming Infidelities

Crying on his shoulders
She slowly reeled him in
Sob stories made his heart melt
She was smiling from within

“He makes me smile, you won’t understand
I know that this is real,
It’s not like what I used to have,
I can’t explain the way I feel.”

“You’ve said that one too many times,
Don’t you tire of it too?
A girl’s reputation is fragile,
Think about the things you do!”

“Don’t you worry about what people think?
That they will tarnish your name?
Do you like the negative attention?
To you it’s all the same.”

“What would she know?” You must think,
“She’s too young to know what’s best,
She’s done plenty wrong, why should I care,
Please let this subject rest!”

Screaming infidelities rule your life,
But you are blind to see,
For the ones that stand to bear the hurt,
Are none but you and he.

Charlene Flanagan

Drops of Rain

Falling beads of awaited relief
Like a blessing being showered down
Slowly fades the wail of grief
From a stressed and anxious town
Sweet release from the bondage of routine life
The trivialities of worries and pain
With a surge of energy to aid the strife
Poured forth the first drops of rain

Such simplicity calms the weary heart
And soothes the restless soul
Shelters the truth that stands apart
From the person as a whole
What lies behind the hurt and lies
Are falling beads of painful cries

Charlene Flanagan

Sunrise

A glow, a fiery orange red
Rose slowly through the skies
Enveloping darkness, scattering dread
While the world still sleeping lies
Birds awakened by the morning light
Take flight and start to sing
The long awaited rest of night
New tales of life to bring

Opportunities await the fading black
Adventures await the kill
Nerves and worries question the lack
Of substantial strength and skill
There's fight and power within the eyes
With success to follow each sunrise

Charlene Flanagan

Uncertainties

So much depends upon
What we think and how we feel
Events unfold, confusions arise
And not knowing what is real
Waking up to find everything a change
Wondering what fate has in store
For love, unpredictable and uncertain
Might suddenly be no more

Charlene Flanagan

Reflection

Who is that girl, where does she go?
Does anyone know her name?
She’s wandering lost, painfully slow,
Everyday just the same.
Expressionless, without a smile
Her eyes all filled with tears
Unaware what brings the lonely mile
Now stricken with worry and fears

She’s trying to hide away the doubt
She’s lost her voice and cannot shout
Who is that girl, the one I see?
Vacantly staring back at me?
I know her name, behind the lies
That girl is me, the one that cries

Charlene Flanagan

Piece the Puzzle

Sitting at my window

Lonely thoughts running through my mind

Wondering where life's taking me

And what life's left behind

I'm staring down the rain-clad road

Watching children as they play

Whiling away my precious time

On this somber and peaceful day

Abundant thoughts seem to fly about

Some good while others bad

Recalling every moment

And every opportunity I've had

It's been a while since I've penned my thoughts

So it's hard to get the flow

But there's so much i want to tell you

So much you need to know

Life hasn't been very easy

A regular troubled teen

Made an obscene amount of mistakes

I'm the perfect drama queen

Twenty years have passed me by

But experience might make it seem more

Mine is not the life of an average girl

And I'm sure you've heard that before

I'm coming out of a two year relationship

It seems odd that I'm not shattered

But it's hard when life's like a puzzle

With some pieces lost and some scattered

Where do I begin I have to ask

Which story should I first tell

How do I even find the words

To explain that moment i fell?

My life has been a roller coaster ride

With it mostly getting stuck

I always make the worst decisions

Accompanied by rotten luck

Ignoring advice from all my friends

Being blind to the wrong steps i take

Then go crying back to those very shoulders

Whose feelings were always fake

My problem is I cannot face the truth

I run at the first signs of pain

Blocking Out any chance of change

To make mistakes all over again

Though i hope i can be an example

And make a difference to a troubled soul

Don't run and hide but stand and fight

Piece the puzzle and make it whole