If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

Vintery, mintery, cutery, corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn;
Wire, briar, limber lock,
Three geese in a flock.
One flew east,
And one flew west,
And one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.

Gali-Gali Ghoome Dil Tujhe Dhoondhe
Gali-Gali Ghoome Dil Tujhe Dhoondhe
Tere Bin Tarase Nayan
Lagan Laagi Tum Se Man Ki Lagan
Lagan Laagi Tum Se Man Ki Lagan
Lagan Laagi Tum Se Man Ki Lagan
Lagan Laagi Tum Se Man Ki Lagan

Tera Tujhako Saunp De Kya Laagat Hai Mor
Mera Mujhamen Kuchh Naaheen Jo Hovat So Tor

It has been one hectic week!

Fired off my job for unexplained & mysterious reasons, having then had it all sinking in gradually (it was all out of the blues, shot!), coming to terms with the fact that despite all my hard-work, initiative and dedication, powers beyond my control decided to pull away my passion (my new job) from me!

When I ask myself what made me suffer, why didn’t I easily let go to save myself all the pain; I incur that I had to go through this ‘ritual for survival’, so to put it, which all of us have to go through in the physical realm – there’s no escape for anybody in this.

Yet in all this , ‘the Muse’ (as a colleague in BasicIndia puts it), was fortunately with me, watching all along.

The Muse watched over this guy as he fought for his turf, till the last hour, last bullet, last blow, until the game ended.

In all this he played fair, with keeping his head!
 

He knew that his conscience is clear; his dedication had been 100%.

And finally even as he realized that the world was not yet a Perfect Place; most importantly he found out for himself that he is not the dumbest idiot, as he had always imagined.

So finally a let-go verse for the last Organization:

Adieu! Long live and happy!

Even as I see through you

I don’t understand why

What could be the reason?

For your blatant cruelty to me!

At first I imagined

I will curse thee

Incur the wrath of the gods in heaven

To bring the holy wrath on you!

Time intervened, and I coined with

The idea to forgive thee

Knowing well that the God up there

Will then resign you to the fires of Hell.

But now I figure out that I am laughing

Even ready to thank you

For, you made me realize

That I am not the dumbest idiot on Earth

Adieu friends. Long live and happy!

-goldenboy

(words: Morrissey)

So for once in my life
let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time
Lord knows, it would be the first time…
(British Group- The Smiths)

(Graphic created by goldenboy Suresh, himself)

Over the years I, personally as a gay guy myself, have received continued and much-valued support from my therapist Uma, my gay and other straight friends (who have accepted me as I am) and my sister Sudha (who knows about my sexuality and totally accepts me as a natural guy). How can I ever thank you all enough!?

I wish to thank all the progressive Psychiatrists & wonderful Counsellors and Therapists who see Homosexuality as perfectly natural and are helping many other gay people like me in coping up with the various phobias that we have picked up along the way growing up in a highly homophobic society.

I lived as a gay couple with another gay man for over 2 years in the same apartment, under the Section 377 of the Indian Penal code over 4 years ago when it was a criminal offence to indulge in gay sexual acts even in private life. I know the trauma of living in constant fear, knowing that we could be picked up by the Police or anyone else wanting to blackmail us or harass us, if they knew that we were (consenting and adult) gay couple.

We, the Gay Community of Indian Society have triumphed over Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which ‘ until now ‘prescribed punishment upto life imprisonment for indulging in “unnatural sexual acts”.

(The Government had earlier sidelined the stand of the then Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss and opposed the PIL (against Article 377) by describing homosexuality as “the most indecent behaviour” in society.)

Today, Thursday 2nd July, 2009, a Bench of Delhi High Court omprising Chief Justice AP Shah and Justice S Murlidhar  legalised gay sex among consenting adults holding that the law making it a criminal offence violates fundamental rights.

A Gist of the Verdict by the esteemed Bench

“We declare section 377 of IPC in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of Articles 14, 21 and 15 of the Constitution (by adults we mean everyone who is 18 years of age or above)

The provision of section 377 IPC will continue to govern non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non vaginal involving minors

This judgement will hold till Parliament chooses to amend the law.

It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster dignity of every individual

(The Court observed that the inclusiveness that the Indian society traditionally displayed in every aspect of life manifested in recognising a role in society for everyone.)

“Those perceived by the majority as ‘deviants’ or ‘different’ are not on that score excluded or ostracised,”

Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding, such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and non-discrimination

This was the spirit behind the resolution of which Jawaharlal Nehru spoke so passionately (referring to the Objective Resolution moved by Nehru on December 13, 1946 at the Constituent Assembly debate.)

Quoting Nehru, Justice Shah said “words are magic things often enough, even the magic of words sometimes cannot convey magic of human spirit and of a nation’s passion …(this resolution seeks very feebly to tell the world of what we have thought or dreamt of so long, and what we now hope to achieve in near future)”.

A provision of law branding one section of people as criminal based wholly on States’ moral disapproval of that class goes counter to equality guaranteed in the Constitution

The provision of section 377 runs counter to the Constitutional values and the notion of human dignity which is considered to be cornerstone of our constitution

Section 377 in its application to sexual act of consenting adults in privacy discriminates a section of people solely on the ground of their sexual orientation which is analogous to prohibited grounds of sex

Any discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation was against Article 15 of the Constitution which prohibits any discrimination on grounds of sex, religion, caste or place of birth

A constitutional provision must be construed, not in a narrow and constricted sense, but in a wide and liberal manner so as to anticipate and take it out of changing conditions and purposes so that the Constitutional provision does not get atrophied or fossilised but remains flexible enough to meet the newly emerging problem”

This judgement, however, will not result in the reopening of criminal cases involving Section 377 of IPC that have already attained finality”

Thanks to all supporters, relatives and friends of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Community in India.

Jai Hind Dost!

For the Full Report: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=4728348

Fold away my pain,

It pollutes the food and the air

The altar and the songs I sing

Words contain poison….

I spit venom everywhere

In pain

Fold away my pain, in silence,

And let its claw dig deep

Into my flesh, my bones,

My heart, my soul…

And swear, not to speak

For if I do, I will only complain

And Complaining is cheap

Please do not complain!

Fold away the Pain
Becoz Complaining is cheap…