Padmavati - Bollywood of Cowards
When I was two-years-old, I lived alone in a rented ground floor room of a house as my parents were away at work during the day, till late evening. Most of the hours, I sat in front of a screen-window watching the world with my amazed little eyes. Instead of being scared, I revelled in the freedom. And mom has testified that I preferred staying home alone instead of crèche. I never cried and was calm as Buddha. May be not Buddha, but surely I was not a coward. Indian DNA isn't corrupted, upbringing is. Gradually, over the years, the country of my birth has pushed me into becoming a full-bodied coward. And my life is a constant battle to keep a shred of soul, a sliver of dreams, a fragment of courage, a slice of honesty alive in me. Instead of Soul-Dreams-Courage-Honesty, this country is built & runs on Caste-Religion-Money and primarily Cowardice. As a kid when I played cricket with poor (cleaner’s sons) kids, my father reminded me of my caste (thakur) & ...