अर्ज किया है:

मै नीन्द्का शौक़ीन ज्यादा तो नहीं फ़राज़
कुछ ख्वाब ना देखू तो गुजारा नहीं होता

What a world of difference in the 2 events that took place thousands of miles apart!

One took place in LA where Kathryn Bigelow created history by becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for direction.

And another one was closer home where the voting on Women's Bill had to be postponed as some of the politicians fought tooth and nail over it.

Don't get me wrong - I am against all kinds of reservation - caste based, religion based and definitely gender-based. If I say with confidence that I will do a job as well as, and sometimes better than, any man can, then I should not need any crutches. Sadly, the reality in this country that claims to worship Womanhood is rather different. There are a lot of males who would rather die than work with (and God Forbid 'for') a woman. So until we reach a critical mass, the women need reservation.

It's just sad to see that the people who call themselves leaders will stoop to such level to prevent that from happening :-(

Mellow Lemon Yellow - by Mary Kay McComas

I didn't know quite what to make of this last novella in "Bump In The Night". That's because I am not familiar with its central theme - an Imaginary Friend. Never had one and as far as I know my brother didn't have one either. I remember that a few years back when I first came across this term I had asked a colleague if she had had any as a kid and she had said that it is unlikely that any child in India will have an imaginary friend because there always are plenty of friends in flesh and blood around - thanks to the population :-) Or maybe we aren't imaginative enough ;-)

Anyways, so we have Charlotte - a plain woman who is working as an accountant. Her dad passes away and guess who shows up at the viewing? None other than her Imaginary Friend! He feels real, he looks real and he smells real enough for Charlotte to feel attracted towards him. Oh Dear! But he helps her with her makeover and the story ends with a Prince Charming showing up in due course of time.

I read this simply to complete the book. Otherwise, this kind of book is not my cup of tea!

The Passenger - by Ruth Ryan Langan

This 3rd novella in the "Bump In The Night" would have been an enjoyable read if it were not for the lurid descriptions of the physical attraction between the protagonists. :-(

So we have a mystery lake right in the middle of some wilderness. There have been sightings of a mysterious lady there over the years. A photographer, Grace Marin, camps out in the wooden cabin nearby hoping to catch a glimpse of this "Lady in White". Josh Cramer is a die-hard adventurist who is all set to prove that he can trek through this wilderness and survive when his plane crashes over the land. The rest is a story of what they discover together.

I am so very tired of reading about the beautiful and handsome protagonists, aren't you? :-)

So Rahul (Mahajan, not Gandhi) has tied the knot rather than tying himself in knots this time :-) But what is this I hear about his managing home front first and then moving on to managing the country? This is surely the stuff the nightmares are made up of.

Wonder if I can step into M.F. Husain's shoes (!) and try for citizenship of Qatar. But again, I am sure that after Rahul's statement there will be such a long queue there that I will have to listen to "कृपया प्रतीक्षा करे, आप कतार मे है" :-)

Why, oh why do our officials always know the right thing to do when the time to do it is long gone? :-( This has cost 2 tiger cubs their lives. I hope at least now they will relocate the remaining 3 tigers to Sariska before it's too late for them :-(

Happy Woman's Day!

A woman draws strength from troubles, smiles during distress and grows stronger with hope.

Wishing Happy Woman's Day to all fellow inhabitants from Venus :-) Proud to be a woman!