No Dirty Gold

Indian culture, its a culture with many values, rituals and ethics, and gold has an important place in it. It entwines with our culture, and it has been marking its path in our rituals for centuries. Presently, it has become a symbol of love and commitment. Nearly everyone in India, are practically mad on gold. Not only the women, even men like its glittering purity and divinity.
But many of the gold consumers in India, and in Foreign countries too, dont know that behind this so called sign of purity, there are human right abusals, imprisonment, beatings and murder, and damage to the eco-system. Gold mining is done mostly in the US, remote parts of Indonesia and other places. In Africa, nearly 30,000 people were abused and killed because of the gold mining activities between 1990-98.
“Blood Diamond” brought forth the devilish treatments employed to obtain diamond. Two years before this movie was released, an international compaign was established in the US, called “No Dirty Gold”, on February 11th 2oo4, which was not against gold, but the method in which it is mined, sold and bought. They started this compaign three days before the Valentine’s day, during which the sales of gold goes high.
Right from the day it was established, the activists of this compaign started distributing Valentine cards which said, “Don’t tarnish your love with dirty gold”. These activists have been working hard for safe-guarding human rights and our environment for nearly three years now. Wedding rings and engagement rings, surely, they are a sign of love and happiness, but, the production of a single gold ring, weighing less than an ounce, generates nearly twenty tons of mine waste! Not only this, they use huge quantities of pure water for the mining, after which, the dirty water is just dumped in the rivers. And, the lands which they mine, most of them are illegally forced out of poor people in the remote parts and once they are mined, they are not suitable for either agriculture, grazing or for any other activities.
“No Dirty Gold” activists have atlast succeeded in making atleast some of the Jewellers in US to say “no” to this dirty gold and to purchase pure gold, which comes at a higher rate, but is mined without causing damage to life and environment. These Jewelleries advertise as “No dirty gold is sold here”.
Well, here in India, its not so easy to bring about this change. Though some social activists in TamilNadu are emphasising on this compaign, its not easy to convince our people to reduce their gold purchase and to make sure they dont buy “dirty gold”. Gold and diamond, should we adorn ourself with ornaments made of these, at the cost of the burial of humanity?

Thats the way it is…

          I have always had this said to me, atleast thrice a week, “Dont speak in that way to me!”. Be it my family, friends or strangers, I never understand what they mean by “that way”. Does that “that way” point to my way of expression, or the words I use or my tone?! Before I ponder over such things and come to a decision about it, two or three more of such confusing statements will be kept ready for me, like, “Do you think you know everything?” or “We have all crossed your age and come over a long way”.

          Am sure I know only a few things, my knowledge is limited and as for “everything”, well now, thats a BIG word! And I dont deny the fact that all the people in this world were born as infants and start growing up and they are tiny tots at first, kids next, adolescents after that and then become what they are at the present. But, if I tell all this and ask certain doubts, I wont be appreciated and cleared of my doubts, but, will only have this said to me, “Dont be cheeky!”
         

            I am as ernest and honest as I can be, when am asking such things. And cheekiness is something which is not there in my nature (maybe I should develop it).But after a few stabs and insults offered in quite a humiliating way, I have stopped asking such things, but just started to accept them and ponder over them, in silence. This burries so many of my innocent questions under the depths of dumbness, silence.
 

          But, this silence is beautiful as well! Now, dont start thinking about nature and all that now, expecting me to say that its because of those that silence is heavenly, but my reason is that, it avoids so many confusing statements, still more confusing answers ( these are from my side ) and of course it gives peace, atleast for one side. Actually, being silent seems to irritate my beloved advisors, but who cares, seeing them getting irritated is funny too! Anyway, I always want to have the last laugh

Phobiophobia?! :P

Anthrophobia or Anthophobia- Fear of flowers.
Apeirophobia- Fear of infinity.
Auroraphobia- Fear of Northern lights.
Bibliophobia- Fear of books.
Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.
Caligynephobia- Fear of beautiful women.
Chorophobia- Fear of dancing.
Coprastasophobia- Fear of constipation.
Cyberphobia- Fear of computers or working on a computer.
Dextrophobia- Fear of objects at the right side of the body.
Didaskaleinophobia- Fear of going to school.
Ecclesiophobia- Fear of church.
Ephebiphobia- Fear of teenagers.
Ereuthrophobia- Fear of blushing.
Euphobia- Fear of hearing good news.
Felinophobia- Fear of cats.
Gamophobia- Fear of marriage.
Heliophobia- Fear of the sun.
Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia- Fear of the number 666.(This BIG name gives me the creeps)
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words.(Guess i have this phobia then )
Leukophobia- Fear of the color white.
Lygophobia- Fear of darkness.
Mageirocophobia- Fear of cooking.
Obesophobia- Fear of gaining weight.
Ouranophobia or Uranophobia- Fear of heaven.
Panophobia or Pantophobia- Fear of everything.
Pediculophobia- Fear of lice.
Samhainophobia-Fear of Halloween.
Syngenesophobia- Fear of relatives.
Urophobia- Fear of urine or urinating.
Wiccaphobia: Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Zeusophobia- Fear of God or gods.