The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Friday 28 February 2014

A MORNING, REFLECTING ON THE BEACH ROAD, VISAKHAPATNAM (1)

TRAVELOGUE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY


THE FLIRTATIOUS NATURE AND ITS CROONING: BEACHES 



A MORNING, 
REFLECTING ON THE BEACH ROAD, 
VISAKHAPATNAM

Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/ 


MORADABAD TO BAGHPAT: MINORITY CONCENTRATION DISTRICTS OF UTTAR PRADESH

LOK SABHA POLLS 2014

Districts having larger count of Muslims in the overall population - in descending order of the minority concentration districts (MCDs)* -  with varying vitality for assembly and parliamentary elections, i.e., being a Lok Sabha constituency or having more number of assembly constituencies, and thus the corresponding impact of the Muslim population in deciding on results of 'number' of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats, i.e., a larger headcount in a more populous district (Moradabad Vs Rampur or Meerut Vs Baghpat) is electorally more significant (with greater parliamentary representation and more number of assembly constituencies) than having a larger percentage point in a smaller district: 

(These 15 districts make for 91 Vidhan Sabha seats and are covered by 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.)

MUSLIM POPULATION IN MINORITY CONCENTRATION DISTRICTS OF UTTAR PRADESH

LOK SABHA POLLS 2014


*The data from the 2011 Census of India report on population of Muslims in India is not available and the reference point is still the 2001 Census report. 

The 15 minority concentration districts (MCDs) of Uttar Pradesh having minority concentration over 25 per cent are from the western region of UP (including Ruhelkhand). The minority concentration data here also includes Christian, Sikh and Buddhist populations. But except two, Pilibhit and Ghaziabad (24 per cent each), all the districts have Muslim population at or above 25 per cent. Also, in all the districts, the minority population percentage is basically about the Muslim population only as others add just one or two percentage points in almost of the cases. 

Districts having maximum % of Muslim population (in descending order): 
(Figures based on Census 2001)

Thursday 27 February 2014

MINORITY CONCENTRATION DISTRICTS OF UTTAR PRADESH

LOK SABHA POLLS 2014


Muslim votes have the vitality to alter the electoral landscape of 19 Lok Sabha seats in Western Uttar Pradesh and they matter decisively in the 10 Lok Sabha seats falling in the Ruhelkhand region of the state. Muslims have concentrated distribution of population in many Western UP districts including the Ruhelkhand districts. These are the Muslim-concentrated or minority concentration districts of UP where Muslims constitute over 20 per cent of the district population. 

The districts are: 
(Alphabetical list) 

MUSLIM POPULATION IN UTTAR PRADESH

LOK SABHA POLLS 2014

The data from the 2011 Census of India report on population of Muslims in India is not available. The reference point is still the 2001 Census report that says over 138 million Muslims (138,188,240 for the exact count) make for 13.4 per cent of the Indian population. 

And for Uttar Pradesh, the Census of India 2001 enlists the state among the ones having sizeable population of Muslims in the overall population profile of the state. 

According to the official government of India estimates, in 2001, at over 30.7 million, (30,740,158) Muslims were about 18.5 per cent of the overall population of Uttar Pradesh (166,197,921). Some other studies put it in the range of 20-21 per cent. 

Wednesday 26 February 2014

FILM GYAN: THE 'WHYS' OF TRASH FILMMAKING

What can be the level of trash filmmaking? Can it be scaled? Are there certain qualitative scales available?


What are the major and minor tools of trash filmmaking? What can make for a comprehensive list of such tools?

What motivates people to make obscenely absurd movies?

Shouldn't such people be medically diagnosed for psychological deformities like a compulsive disorder leading them to draw pleasure in others' (audiences') misery?

What pushes for the madness to waste huge sums on petty bums, movies that can kill by their gargantuan stupidity; movies that can easily qualify as a potent tool of torture to expedite nervous breakdown; movies that eat cash only to defecate it with 'zero' going into its assimilation to produce something worth ROI?

What should be the mechanism to fix responsibility in case of trash filmmaking keeping in mind the fact that the industry survives on consuming audiences' time and thus is directly responsible for non delivery of promises in case the viewer feels duped after watching the movie?


The research into the art of trash filmmaking continues..
:)

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/  





CLOUDS ROMANCE DEODARS OF LANDOUR

TRAVELOGUE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

THE FLIRTATIOUS NATURE AND ITS CROONING-V 




CLOUDS ROMANCE DEODARS OF LANDOUR

IN MUSSOORIE RANGE

Flirtatious crooning of nature clicked from Landour

Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/ 

Tuesday 25 February 2014

WHEN IT HAD TO BE THE ONLY TOMORROW

As if it was resurrecting, 
The long forgotten past,
To a journey that was, 
To be the only quest
The retrospective was,
Getting younger by the night 
Touching emotions,
Deep inside,
Trying to bond again
Asking questions, 
Questioning the questions 
And answers making sense 


MUSLIM FACTOR IN UP: BJP’S PERFORMANCE IN MAJOR MUSLIM CONSTITUENCIES

LOK SABHA POLLS 2014

BJP’s performance in the 2012 assembly polls of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India having the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats and thus being one of the decisive state in the number games in the Lok Sabha, clearly tells the its potential to polarise votes on religious lines – Hindu votes and Muslim votes.

There are over 70 seats in UP where Muslims constitute over 30 per cent of the population. In 2012 assembly polls, the BJP won 17 of such seats while it could won just 8 of the over 120 seats in assembly constituencies where Muslims constituted up to 10 per cent of the population.

Monday 24 February 2014

THE LANDOUR DOGS AT CHAR DUKAN (2)

TRAVELOGUE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY


THE LANDOUR DOGS AT CHAR DUKAN


THE LANDOUR DOGS

http://severallyalone.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-landour-dogs.html


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/ 

Sunday 23 February 2014

THE HIMALAYA FROM CHAR DUKAN, LANDOUR (2)

TRAVELOGUE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH BEAUTY OF DEODARS FLANKING THE LENS 


THE HIMALAYAN HILLS

AS SEEN FROM CHAR DUKAN, LANDOUR


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/

THE HIMALAYA FROM CHAR DUKAN, LANDOUR (1)

TRAVELOGUE/TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH BEAUTY OF DEODARS FLANKING THE LENS 


THE HIMALAYAN HILLS

AS SEEN FROM CHAR DUKAN, LANDOUR


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/


THE LANDOUR DOGS AT CHAR DUKAN (1)

TRAVELOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY


THE LANDOUR DOGS AT CHAR DUKAN


THE LANDOUR DOGS

http://severallyalone.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-landour-dogs.html


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/ 

Saturday 22 February 2014

CHAI-WALLAHS PUSH FOR THEIR CHARTER OF DEMANDS

After a hugely successful conclave and an unprecedented expression of the Chai-wallah brotherhood, Chai-wallahs agreed to form a registered organisation to head the fight of the Chai-wallah social community. The process may take some time in completing the necessary legal formalities.

In the meantime, an apex body representing every geography and community of Chai-wallahs has been formed to push for immediate acceptance and implementation of the charter of demands prepared during the two-day conclave. The letter for the purpose has already been sent to the political parties.

Main demands of the charter are:


HILLS, CLOUDS AND SUN: WHEN THEY MEET

PHOTOGRAPHY

THE FLIRTATIOUS NATURE AND ITS CROONING-IV 



HILLS, CLOUDS AND SUN: WHEN THEY MEET 

IN MUSSOORIE RANGE

Flirtatious crooning of nature clicked somewhere on the drive to Landour from Dehradun 

Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/ 

BUOYED BY STORM IN CHAI CUP, CHAI-WALLAHS MEET TO DISCUSS FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION

Buoyed by the surge in discussion around Chai stalls and the ‘eyeball’ and ‘electoral’ importance of Chai-time after Narendra Modi’s ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ campaign and it pushing the herd mentality forcing others to come with their own versions, the Chai-wallahs organised a meeting in the National Capital Delhi having representatives from every language, every culture and every geography of India, to deliberate on their new-found celebrity status and to devise ways to discuss and squeeze out the maximum possible political mileage from the Narendra Modi development and its offshoots so as to ensure the maximum social dividend for their community.

Also, the emphasis was led on swift working on the minutes of the Chai-wallahs conclave to deliver a charter of demands as soon as possible so as to get the political community agreed to the demands before the code of conduct of the Lok Sabha polls are enforced.

THE STORM IN THE CUP OF CHAI GETS MORE OF IT

Chai means many things in many languages, in many cultures. For us Indians, it is an inseparable part of our daily lives, sipping it as and when we feel, sipping it while thinking, sipping it while talking, sipping it while walking. Most of us cannot imagine our life without it.

And like many other important parts our daily life, we had taken Chai for granted as well. We realised we could not live without it yet we didn’t give it its due.

Until Narendra Modi’s Chai idea happened, now being implemented as ‘Chai Pe Charcha’, a full-scale electoral campaign every week intended to connect almost 20 million people same day same time using a mix of advanced and traditional communication technologies.

A mighty communication idea the time of which seems to have arrived, especially after the good response to Modi’s Chai-time-themed campaign!

And it has forced others to take notice; irrespective of which class they come from – the tea-proponents or the Chai-wallahs.

Friday 21 February 2014

तुम जो गए, बहुत कुछ ले गए

तुम जो गए, बहुत कुछ ले गए 
कहीं कुछ टूटा 
रूह पे ना जाने क्या बीता 
कुछ कह नहीं पाया, सुनता ही रहा 
देखता ही रहा, रोकना भी चाहा 


IT IS NOW A PART OF ME

I would not say it didn't affect
That would be unlike being me
I would not seek you to regret
That I never expected to be

You went,
Taking away a part of me
You left,
Splitting the Soul inside me
You disappeared,
Shaking my sense of ‘being

MAA..MUMMA..

Maa..Mumma..Mother..
'The never defined',
Yet always guiding to the right

Maa..Mumma..Mother
'The never demanding',
Yet always supporting might!

Maa..Mumma..Mother
'The never obstructing',
Yet always questioning light

Maa..Mumma..Mother..
The crux of all the 'isms'..
The bottom-line of every wisdom


©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/

Thursday 20 February 2014

CONGRESS' TELANGANA GAMBLE: ILL-TIMED, WON’T PAY

Creation of Telangana, ill conceived and ill-timed, is purely a political decision by a beleaguered Congress party that is looking at an absolute doom in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Everyone has written the Congress party off and it is unlike the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) days of 2004. There are solid reasons, multiple of them. Scores have been written and are being written on the grand failure of the Manmohan Singh's government in its second term. 

The only glint of hope is left with some die-hard supporters of the first political family of India (the Nehru-Gandhi family) and they are using it to improve their loyalty points in case the Congress party comes back to power in future by advising such silly steps to score political mileage.

Yes, these are silly steps that are not going to help Congress but have certainly thrown life out of gear in a large state of India. We can only hope that the dust will finally settle now with the Rajya Sabha passing the Bill today to create Telangana.

Yes, but it is not going to help the grand old party of India, the Congress party, the main party of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in any way.


TELANGANA IS IN. THOUGH ILL-TIMED, VANDALISM CANNOT REVERSE IT. UNFOLLOW POLITICOS NOW.

So, Telangana is finally in. Hopefully, the process to carve it out on the ground will not be shameful as its legislative part has been. Democracy was subverted, both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha while presenting, discussing and passing the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill.

The ruckus in the Lok Sabha followed its course in the Rajya Sabha. The live broadcast of the Lok Sabha was blacked out when it came to passing the Bill but the whole nation saw what happened in Rajya Sabha. The soul of democracy was killed once again in the Lok Sabha. Its identity was once again humiliated in the Rajya Sabha.

How can these elected members representing the top-most legislative body of the country behave so irresponsibly and insensibly while passing a bill that will affect lives of millions of people spread across a large geographical area?

But then, our politicians have been like this, more so in the recent history.

HEROIC ACTS IN INDIAN PARLIAMENT AND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES: THE TOP 10

It was really a tough choice to make a list of 10 most credible and inspirational heroic acts being performed in the Indian legislative institutions including in the Parliament out of the 21 (http://severallyalone.blogspot.in/2014/02/heroic-acts-in-indian-parliament-and.html).

But, finally, here it is..

THE TOP 10
(The highly filtered ‘preferential’ list)

Wednesday 19 February 2014

BROOM: NEW TOOL OF COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM

THE NEW TOOLS OF COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM IN THE INDIAN DEMOCRACY

Broom, the universal cleansing machine, was universally so understated (until now, at least in India). Even if the changing times brought to its contour the obvious advancements and the technological avatars, the mentality around the broom remained symbolically broom-type only.

The stereotyping can be understood by the fact that Wikipedia gives a well populated list of use of broom in cultural context and supports it with use of broom in witchcraft wizardry.

See, even Harry Potter, the hugely successful, iconic hero, having a global fan-following, creating the richest female author of the world, from scratch, even he could not change the perception. The Harry Potter Broom is listed on eBay and Amazon and returns with a number of links on the magical broomstick/broom used by the wizard boy on hitting it on Google and yet, the mighty broom has remained grossly understated.

THE REPRESENTATIVE ACTS: HEROIC ACTS IN INDIAN PARLIAMENT AND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES

The filtered alphabetical list

Breaking and throwing microphones
(Multiple times - in many legislative bodies including the Parliament)

Climbing on the desk, of other fellow members, of Speaker, of other House officials
(Multiple times - in many legislative assemblies)

Creating din in the Well of the House
(A regular event – in Parliament as well as in state assemblies)

Grabbing collar
(In Parliament in 2009; and in some state assemblies)

Hurling broken furniture and sound-boxes
(In West Bengal Assembly in November 2007)

HEROIC ACTS IN INDIAN PARLIAMENT AND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES

The filtered alphabetical list

  • Breaking and throwing microphones
  • Climbing on the desk, of other fellow members, of Speaker, of other House officials
  • Creating din in the Well of the House
  • Grabbing collar
  • Hurling broken furniture and sound-boxes
  • Hurling pedestal fan towards the Speaker
  • Manhandling/Fist-fighting/Scuffles causing physical injuries
  • Punching Assembly Marshals and others
  • Slapping others including fellow members
  • Smashing computer screen and glass panes

Tuesday 18 February 2014

AAM AADMI: NEW TOOL OF COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM

THE NEW TOOLS OF COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM IN THE INDIAN DEMOCRACY

The first two months of 2014 have given the common man’s symbolism some vital tools to reflect on the centrality of the common man beyond the mere political symbolism. So how are they playing out to make the inroads?

The Common Man: The Aam Aadmi has become so lethal that it forced the Congress party to remove ‘Aam Aadmi’ from the age-old Congress’ slogan of fallacy, ‘Congress Ka Haath, Aam Aadmi Ke Saath’ (Congress’ Hand is for the Common Man – hand being the poll symbol of the grand old party of India).

It was power of the Aam Aadmi only that led to a massive surge in the pro Aam Aadmi sentiments after the Aam Aadmi gave the apolitically political Aam Aadmi Party a grand beginning in the assemblage of the political constellations, the entities that have acted like constellations mostly (though visible to us but they have hardly worked the common man way).

THE LANDOUR DOGS

It was so magnetic to look at them and it was so good to see them shining, healthy and clean, at the iconic square of Landour,  the twin city of Mussoorie,  the British era cantonment, a 1000 feet or so above Mussoorie.

The Landour dogs are essential part of the Maggi shops lore (the Char Dukan hangout) of the cantonment and like the historic call of Mussoorie,  the tales of the mountains and the tales of how it came to be and the famous tales of it's legacy of haunted stories and the beauty of that, the Landour Dogs, too vie for the call. You may come across local people telling you these Landour Dogs are from the lot of the legendary ghosts of the Mussoorrie Range. 


More photographs to follow..

:) 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/

Monday 17 February 2014

COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM GETS NEW TOOLS (BEYOND MERE POLITICAL SYMBOLISM)

Continued/extended from

UNCOMMONNESS OF THE COMMON MAN IN THE POLL SEASON

http://severallyalone.blogspot.in/2014/02/uncommonness-of-common-man-in-poll.html 

The first two months of 2014 have been highly productive for the Indian democracy and the trends tell the drought of decades is going to end its inflicting spell.

The ‘Aam Aadmi’, the common man, had never gone beyond the ‘symbolic’ special status of being the fundamental constituent of the independent India. His special status was always limited to the days of elections and the short-lived phase of hallelujah only served the game of the political masters of the country.

So, what are the developments that help us daydream so or push us to think so?

UNCOMMONNESS OF THE COMMON MAN IN THE POLL SEASON

India is a constitutionally proclaimed Republic where the basic unit of everything that goes into the concept of a democratic nation is the ‘common man’.

But, over the years, passing through the ages, the public of this Republic, looking for known or familiar addresses, was pushed, comfortably and consciously, to a fallacious state of mind of ‘being supreme to the cause of an India ruled by its political elite’.

The symbolism of a ‘high and mighty’ Republic of compromised public began right in 1947 with Jawaharlal Nehru’s epoch-defining midnight ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.

We were born a troubled nation.

And though we had great many luminaries when we began, we faltered. In spite of their profound wisdom and good intent, some of the soldiers of the Indian Freedom Movement caused acidic damage to the concept of a true Republic, affecting the chances of ensuring a healthy democratic atmosphere for its public. And we continued to falter.

Until now!

THE NORTH KOREAN PURGE – ESCAPE FROM CAMP 14: HE WAS INDOCTRINATED TO KNOW NO EMOTIONS

Today, the United Nations released a report on Human Rights violation in North Korea (the killing machines of humanity I say) recommending strong action against one of the living laboratories of the Holocaust. The report says ‘the world must act’, yet it has been a long, dead spell of geopolitical games allowing people to be butchered, by the idiots like Kim Jong-un or his predecessors.
I am sharing here, today, my book review of ‘Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West’ that I had written last may after reading the book, a book (a rare, authenticated, firsthand account – there have been very few cases of prison-camp survivors of North Korea) that reflects on what the report says, on what is happening in North Korea.
It’s straight. No colours. Single-point concentration and just one message!

And it hits sharply.

Family, father, mother, brother, sister, friends – all these words were just faceless, nameless heaps of flesh, devoid of any philosophical meaning of the term 'soul', competing for that ‘always’ meager amount of the foodstuff given twice a day (and that, too, irregularly). The survival of every nameless was mortgaged to the pervert decadence of the savage indoctrination.

He knew no emotions. Getting somehow the daily dose of that meal, which we, in the ‘civilized’ world can never think of even touching, was the only motive to live the next day.  The best survival instinct was betrayal – betray everyone, no trust – get your share of the rotten meal anyhow – midst abuses, whippings, isolations, rapes, sodomy, and killings.

All for no reason – or something that your ancestors or relatives had done!

He was not alone. There were tens of thousands of them – the book puts it 150,000 to 200,000 prisoners – in the labour camps of North Korea.


Sunday 16 February 2014

THE 'SLATE' ON A DAY IN A MAKESHIFT CLASS - IN THE MOMENTS: THE PARADOX OF GETTING EDUCATED

A PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES

CHILDHOOD IN THE MARGINALISED GHETTOS















 


THE 'SLATE' ON A DAY IN A MAKESHIFT CLASS

THE PARADOX OF GETTING EDUCATED 


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/

THE 'SLATE' ON A DAY IN A MAKESHIFT CLASS - THE COLLAGE: THE PARADOX OF GETTING EDUCATED

A PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES

CHILDHOOD IN THE MARGINALISED GHETTOS



THE 'SLATE' ON A DAY IN A MAKESHIFT CLASS

THE PARADOX OF GETTING EDUCATED 


Get interactive with Banaras Calling’s Facebook extension at: 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/