Thursday, April 26, 2018

Reading human minds

My! Isn't it pretty weird how the social media reads your mind? Or maybe Facebook is eavesdropping - or more weirdly tracking your movements or reading your mind. The suggested posts that fb throws up are uncannily close to what you do or think.
It has just now asked me to make banana and coconut pudding with Chiquita bananas! I had the last Chiquita banana yesterday night.
Two weeks back, it threw up a suggestion that I admit my kid in kindergarten starters just after I had spotted a KGS bus passing my place; maybe because I made the mistake of explaining what KGS is to Mira.
And last month in India, I had been so impressed by the the Brezza car and wondering why dad couldn't buy that in place of the Swift he opted for. But no search on Google, mind you. And Gmail sent me a mail asking me to buy a Brezza ! These are just a few of the instances. Is FB an all knowing God?

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Childhood violated

After seeing my daughter as a baby, my ex boss advised: "She's a very charming girl. Don't send her to neighbors' houses." Cute and pretty children will have more people wanting to pet them. Soon after we moved into our new flat, we had a neighbor, a  lady with teenaged two sons and a daughter, who took her home a couple of times to cuddle and play. But my maid must have given her a curt response the next time, because the practice stopped and the family became a little aloof with us.
But I felt a little curtness was okay to safeguard your child in these dangerous times. When I read about a mentally challenged little girl being raped by her neighbour, I wondered how the parents let her go just like that. But I guess one can't be too careful and parents often let their guard down or trust people they interact with often.
In the light of the horrific rape and murder of 8 year old Asifa in Kathua, we as parents need to be more alert about the wolves around our Red Riding Hoods. It's not possible to remember Asifa's innocent face without tears and a shiver down through one's spine. What makes the crime doubly horrible is the fact that it's a premeditated act to drive out her community from a Hindu majority area. How devilish can humans get - I'm sure the devil will object to the comparison for even he plays by rules.
My daughter does not want to return to India to live now. I hope the rape culture we seem to have in India these days changes by the time we have to bid UAE goodbye.

 If I thought I wouldnt be able to withstand the trauma of watching #Aadujeevitham / #Goat Life, a real-life survival drama starring Prithvi...