Sleepless

It is one minute past ten at night and I am sitting in front my laptop. With only the light from my screen to light up the room it gives the impression of that desperate teenager waiting for the parents to sleep so as to browse the net undetected. But the truth is far from that.

Yes, I am desperate. But not for the filthy reasons creeping up your mind. After the entire day spent on the daily chores and back to back kids 'intervention', I finally get some peace at night. So, I wait. Like the crouching tiger slowly closing in on its prey, I slowly get up from my bed towards my laptop and switch it on. Ah! This silence, this truce. It is precious! And then, as my husband snores away in his sleep and my kids dream away to wonderland (or some cartoon land for all I care!), I sit and check my emails, browse through Facebook, write blog posts( such as this) and update myself with the virtual world.

I like this. Spending my quiet time either browsing or listening to my playlist. It is my 'me' time. Of course, I compromise on my sleep which sometimes makes me drowsy and even giddy at times but I would never trade this reserved time for anything else. I can always catch up on sleep later, is what I tell myself.

Here's to all the night prowlers like me who enjoy doing whatever it is that they do!

Andha Kanoon

The verdict that all Indians have been waiting for is out. All the four accused in the Delhi gang rape case have been sentenced to death by a fast track court. The only good part about the entire episode is that all this was done within nine months of the horrendous crime. But is this good enough? Is it good enough for the victim's soul? Or for her parents? Will any punishment be painful enough for those animals-in-a-human-skin?

There was also a 17 year old among those men who ,allegedly, was the most violent of the lot. Due to his age, he gets to walk away from all this after spending three years in a correction home in the name of punishment. I'm sure he will have no regrets about his acts when he has finished his sentence.

And then what? Should we, the parents, the citizens of this vast and secular nation, wait? Wait for the day when such 'juveniles' commit more crimes and tortures so that the Indian law allows them to be tried in the court as a proper assaulter? Or wait till such people are convicted and meanwhile continue to snatch away our daughters/children?

India is rejoicing today. They say justice has prevailed. I'm sorry but I fail to see the 'justice' in all of this.