September 11… 5 years but USA remembers and still mourns. “Spouses and partners of victims read out the names of all 2,749 people who died at the World Trade Center”. My heart goes out to the people of America. And it sinks when I think of the people in India. Vande Mataram?
Mumbai Train Blasts
Vande Mataram
Malegaon Blast
Vande Mataram
Roads full of Potholes (deadlines, schmedlines)
Vande Mataram
Dead Politician’s son being touted as “innocent” & “framed” though all proof shows otherwise
Vande Mataram
44 Miners dead in Ranchi. 10 still missing. New York Fashion Week gets more coverage.
Vande Mataram
Bina Ramani being imprisoned. Manu Sharma walking free.
Vande Mataram
I love the song too.
But surely there are more important issues to take care of in this country?
(Int’ll readers who may not be aware of what I’m riling about, click here)
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September 12th, 2006 at 3:51 am
Agreed. Its pretty disgraceful.
September 12th, 2006 at 6:49 am
Vande Matram.
September 12th, 2006 at 9:36 am
Vande Mataram literally means “Our mother is one”.
If you know it, sing it anyday, anytime.
Absolutely no need to force anyone.
Surely there is no need to fight over such silly issues.
Really silly thing to ask, but what does the title mean?
September 12th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Students murdering their teachers
-Vande Mataram
People getting washed away in a flood..with the nation watching on live TV
-Vande Mataram
MPs giving themselves a salary hike for not working and walkouts
-Vande Mataram
Rich and powerful walk free..but the salaried paying higher n higher taxes
-Vande Mataram
What happened to the crores that telgi kept talking about?What happened to the crores that were earned for buying coffins for the brave soldiers who laid down their lives protecting this country?What happened to those crores received from veerappan?What happened to truth?What happened to justice?What happened to responsibility?
What the hell has gone wrong with us Indians???
@Harsha : Vande Mataram literally means “I bow in respect in front of my mother”..in this context, our motherland.
September 12th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
@ashish
Thanks for the correction. My Sanskrit is a bit rusty and mixed up with Kannada.
In this context, Vande means to pray/salute as in “Vandana”.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
@ashish why is motherland and not fatherland.
September 12th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
its sad that people can only remember this… i ask you what about the 180,000 innocent people killed by the US in Afg and Irq????? answer that… Why do we only feel sad for the ones that have made the most news?
September 12th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
nice one, mel, as always.
p.s. thnx fr yr sweet ‘comment’ on my blog.
will be back soon. been a bit busy lately. and also at a loss for words!
cheers!
September 12th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
@ rahul & others: let me break it up..
“vande” in sanskrit means to bow down in respect/prayer…and the hindi word “vandana”-to pray is derived from this…
“mataram” - is made of two words “matru” + “aham”. “Matru” stands for mother, and “aham” stands for my.
hence the meaning is “i bow in respect/prayer to my mother”. bankim Chandra Chatterji wrote this during our freedom struggle to show his respect for India, our motherland. And here’s the English translation of this beautiful song:
Mother, I salute to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.
-translation courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vande_Mataram
September 12th, 2006 at 7:56 pm
@ Mario: Not sure what you’re trying to say?
@ Harsha:
P-ed O is my ‘nice’ way of saying Pissed Off. I have a whole lot of other ‘nice’ things I say when I want to say not-so-nice things… lol
@ Ashish:
I don’t know bro, I don’t know. I only wish whoever does know does something about it…
Btw, thx for the break up & translation of the whole song. I’ve always loved it but as I said in this post I think it’s disgraceful that politicians are making an issue out of singing/not singing it when there are obviously more important things to be dealt with. Also can’t help thinking it’s another sick device to separate our country by bringing up religious differences all because of politics.
@ Rahul: As far as I know, countries are always talked about in the female gender. Hence ‘Motherland’ and ‘Mother tongue’ etc. Could be wrong, do feel free to point out.
@ Khush: Oh Absolutely. That’s what saddened me wrt the miners too. They only got a little coverage & everywhere else it was Fashion Week. I actually said to mum - if a model dies it’ll be on the front page of every newspaper in this country. These guys died and no one cares.
@ Aparna: Thx dear. Hope the cat leaves your tongue soon!
September 12th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
I came here through Ekta’s blog. Yea.. it sucks to see that our government does not care. Our citizens dont care. This reminds me of the Guns n Roses’ song, Welcome to the Jungle.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
Its all about election time folks!! Do you think any of these
people making noise can even sing the song with a melodious voice?lol
Ok if that is too much, do they atleast know the lyrics?
Vande Matram
September 12th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Isn’t that typical of India though?
It’s become so natural, that people have simply become apathetic to it… what can we say?
However as far as the controversy goes, Mel, I’m all for a personal choice. If somebody wants to sing the song, well and good, and if somebody doesnt, then let him not. I really dont see why they had to make such an issue out of it anyway.
September 13th, 2006 at 9:55 am
@ Biju: Yes, it’s totally about elections. And it’s sick the way Indian elections are fought - and won - over religious differences.
About the song - NDTV did a segment on 7th September (the day it was “supposed” to be sung by ALL - geez louise) and indeed, forget about melody most of the ones who were shoving the song down the rest of our throats did not know the words nor what they meant. It sickens me to think our country is run by men like these.
And in case I sound biased against any one political party, let me say this - almost all of them are disgusting. Voting time for me is more a choosing of a lesser evil. Don’t think any good lies in any politician in India today. It’s not that they can’t do good for the country even in the midst of all their corruption - but they just don’t care.
@ dev: Actually I don’t think people really have become apathetic. I think earlier when there was nothing anyone could say or do, then people just dealt with it - even then I think it was simmering somewhere in the back of their heads. Today though with the masses having so much more of a say than before - multiple TV channels multiple newspapers, blogs, magazines, whatever - I think the common man is no longer ready to shut up and take the *%#& they dish out to us.
My point exactly wrt to the song.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Well all this discussion has inspired me to put up a post on my blog. Do check it out.
September 13th, 2006 at 10:27 am
September 29th, 2006 at 11:57 am
hiya Melo
But dont you think if Bina Ramani had not to run her joint with an illegal liquor license, jessica might have been alive today? But with the latest Tehelka expose, hope is that the culprits will soon be brought to justice.
October 1st, 2006 at 9:07 pm
I’m not saying Bina Ramani is a picture of innocence. All I’m saying is that it’s crazy for her to be behind bars when Manu Sharma walks free. It’s like saying punish all the means to the end because the end is wrong. And yet, don’t punish the end. Sorry, not very clear on my thoughts, but hope you understand.
I don’t know about the culprits ever being brought to ‘justice’ so to speak, but I believe in a Just God. Everyone will get their due eventually, in this world or out of it.