Perhaps the title is a little mis-leading but it also contains some percentage of truth init.

Surely by now most of you out there must have heard about the ‘Blog Meet of the Year’, which was held at my place, obviously by me. And incase you haven’t then that’s really sad (for ya).

Never have I ever felt so jittery in hosting a get-together and believe me I have organized quite a few in my life up till now. But this time round it was different, especially since I didn’t have my mum or sister-in-law helping me out; which meant practically doing everything. So with family holidaying in Turkey, a task of pleasing invited desi-bloggers, running behind the cook and harassing the house-helpers to clean up the past few days ka mess - things were not looking all the rosy.

But thankfully my invitees made it all worthwhile, so what if most of them turned up nearly couple of hours later than the intended time.

We discussed practically everything under-the-moon but blogging. The likes of Pran, Viveik Oberoi, Miland Soman, Rahul Bose, Govinda, Mandira Bedi and my dearest Sallu Bhai were the center of our topic of discussion besides in-side scoops about Gaurav’s fetish for holding hands and Saket’s extraordinary capability of changing his appearances in a jiffy. On a side note, looking at Gaurav’s attire last night gave another good reason to avoid watching Shahrukh Khan’s Don.

Other Links: Debt Consolidation free quote

I always used to believe that people often ridiculed those who were at the peak of their achievements by targeting their loneliness either out of jealousy or at times purely to be the center of a conversation. I am not saying that all of these stories are purely figment of someone’s imagination; after all isn’t it true that where there is smoke there is fire. But at times it’s just so difficult for us common man to even imagine, let alone feel the dark-side of the glamorous world lead by the rich and famous people.

There is a common saying among the Bollywood crowd (and surely it is applicable universally) that it’s very lonely at the No. 1 position; in simpler words, all that glitters isn’t gold. And this unfortunate side of stardom is what I witnessed in front of my very own eyes.

I had just had dinner at a relative’s house and was walking towards my car with my cousin. As I approached my car I saw a well-built man standing in front my vehicle. On a closer look, I realized that he was not some random guy but undoubtly one of the biggest names in Bollywood today. His recent releases have raked in phenomenal amount of money and along with it audience’s praises and critic’s appreciation. Being a complete filmy pandu to say that I was over the moon would also sound so under-stated. The very first thought in my head was that I have to take a photograph with him and make it another addition to my album of Bollywood Walk of Fame.

Click here to continue reading ‘Stardom (nothing but loneliness)’

Domestic Violence is one of the gravest and the most pervasive of human right violations in India. Most victims of domestic violence are women who come from all social and economic backgrounds. But from now on things might change and hopefully for the better.

Finally the knight in shining armor for the Indian Woman has arrived in the form of Domestic Violence Act 2005, which is applicable from today onwards. The highlighting point of this Act is that it not only provides protection to women who are legally married but also those who are in live-in relationship, women who are sisters, widows or mother. The new law also addresses sexual abuse of children, or forcing girls to marry against their wishes as well. This certainly proves that the new Act has been formed keeping the current relationship culture in India and the irregularities in previous Domestic Violence Laws, in mind.

Hindustan Times Reports:

The new law provides an all-encompassing definition of domestic violence including not only physical violence by the husband, such as beating or physically hurting his wife, or sexual violence like forced intercourse, but also verbal or emotional violence such as insulting the wife or preventing her from taking up a job, and even economic violence such as not allowing the wife to use her salary.

“The definition includes threats of abuse and dowry demands too,” said Renuka Chowdhury, Minister for Women and Child Development.

Chowdhury said around 70 per cent of women in India were victims of domestic violence in some form. “The enactment of the law is a historic step towards ending gender discrimination,” she said.

Any man found guilty under the Domestic Violence Act 2005 would be sent to jail and/or fined upto Rs. 20,000. They can also be charged under other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), if applicable.

Click here to continue reading ‘Domestic Violence Act 2005 - Big Brother has Arrived’