FranKophone

What do you think of a five year old kid who lives on milk?No food,only a feeding bottle three times a day...That's me,this pic is mine when I was 18 months old.How do you like it? At the same time,I was a big "goon" in my friend circle.My cousin,who was a year older than me,was a weak boy.He always said,"Let my sis' come,she'll set you right."When I came to his place(during holidays),most of his bullies woundn't step out of their houses.Such was the goonda-raj.Even 10 year old boys weren't spared.I still remember how I bashed them up,dragging them on stairs by their hair.One of them was a Judoka.When someone told him that we must have a second duel,he cried,"No,not with her." My parents really began to worry when I didn't eat "solid food" even after I went to school.I consumed about 3.5 litres of milk a day and threw tantrums if it fell short or didn't taste good.My "lunch bottle" of milk was handed to me b...

I was in a jolly mood till this morning.My injury is healing and my fever has gone down.I haven't been to college since ten days.To all my friends:Fever gripped me on Wednesday and I had a really long rest on bed.When I opened the day's newspaper,I was horrified to read the words "Bandh tomorrow".The reason-a religious head was shot dead in Kandhmal(Orissa), a Maoist-affected district by unidentified assailants.There were 5 dead in all,including a child.Though the authorities have labled it as a "handiwork of terror",the possibility of it being a communal clash cannot be ruled out.In fact,Kandhmal hit the national news headlines during Christmas last year due to riots on basis of religion. The word "bandh" has put me in a jittery now.The trail to college,the smoke bellowing from burnt tyres ,the roads,the people on the way-all these traumatize me now. What is the purpose of a bandh,I wonder ...People preventing others-students,workers from doing th...

Date: 13th August,2008 Place:Bhubaneswar Time:9:45 am A college bus comes to a halt on the national highway no.5.The reason-road blockade ahead by a political party on Amarnath land row.In apprehension of a goof up,the driver diverts the bus to a narrower path.He expected traffic to be quite less there.But phish!There was a serpentine queue of vehicles for nearly 2 kms...."Oh shit!!!!!",exclaimed all the 8 students on the bus.It was only 30 minutes to reach the exam hall and they were quite far away.Miss X had Analog Electronics paper at 10:15 am followed by Data Structure paper at 3:30 pm.She took all caution to follow her friends-crossing all boulders,uneven surfaces for about 200 metres.Then came the climax.As she was trying to negotiate with a steep path on foot,there was a noise "kadakada" from her knees.She realized that her favourite pair of sandals had given way.Worse still,she felt pain and couldn't walk!!!!! With great courage,she took a s...

The picture seems to be of an ideal rural resort-the best way to release oneself from the hustle and bustle of fast life...Actually,it is the entrance to one of the most backward districts of the country,Kalahandi of Orissa. Yes,you guessed it right..Years ago,the then Prime Minister of India,Rajiv Gandhi flew to this place on hearing the news of one,Phanas Punji.This tribal woman sold her sister-in-law for Rs.25.The reason - money would bring food for the family,who would otherwise die out of hunger.It made it to the headlines then.. My visit to Kalahandi(literally meaning,'black pot') coincided with Dussehra.I thought it would be a hopeless holiday but a lot was in store. The moment we entered Kalahandi district,we saw the beautiful hill in the picture.The river Tel was shimmering in golden sunlight.It was a sight which I cannot describe or behold.Ah!I said... On reaching the main town,Bhawanipatna(meaning 'fort of Bhawani') I made a beeline to the famou...

This face speaks..... Of the immense potential the new generation has.A gruesome end to a fairytale,as I put it. Every girl is a fairy,a princess in her home.Irrespective of all differences,be it personal or socio-economic,every child is special.Be it Aarushi or Asif or next door Chintoo,all are the soul of their parents.What happened with Aarushi is known to everyone.. anyone who watches satellite television is a mute spectator to the great fiasco created by the media and police over the death of a girl,belonging to an upper-middle class family of Noida.The way the "facts" were framed,the police' theories regarding the murder and above all,charging the father made me angry.I did not write about her before because I found it hard to believe that a father(that too in medical profession,where life is a valued possession) could ever kill his daughter in a fit of rage. The media brought several false notions about Aarushi's family which could severely impair their s...