Photo Courtesy vaishnudebi-dutta-JShfWXJrAvc-unsplash As someone who knows Bengali (the language), I often wonder how to describe maal (Bengali: মাল ; Hindi: माल ). The word may have a different connotation in different contexts. With a simple Google translation comes the following suggestions: goods, property, booze, wealth, merchandise, revenue, freight, etc. In my life, I have come across various others: fool/idiot, good looking (mainly the fairer sex), difficult, sperm, cash, object, etc. Catch the drift? No? Because the tangential reference lies in the topic being discussed at the particular time the word was used in a sentence. Or try to catch the drift of the word in tandem with facial expression, or eye movement, or gesture. Even while uttering the word, a slow shake of head may refer to an idiot, a quick glance may mean reference to the person being glanced at, flicking the thumb off forefinger may mean money, mi...

The other day there was one of those unsolicited messages in one of those unsolicited groups. Yes, with time, I have started attending WhatsApp University. And with time, I have stopped exiting groups; I attend these classes as a passive, mute student of unlearning – though my attendance would be considered insufficient. Many may call me a watcher or even a voyeur. However, I yearn to unlearn a lot – especially from groups that proudly exhibit the term Media or Journalist. So I do occasionally glance through the sundry post when I need to unlearn or get winded. In the message, one of these media specialists targeted a certain “infamous” communist leader, raising questions over his source of income in supporting his livelihood (even if frugal) or funding an election campaign. Left is just a four-letter word today. And now that it has been rendered politically and economically irrelevant, I find it amusing that some people still find it worth flogging a dead horse. And I LoL when someo...

Vijay Yadav was from Patna, Bihar, and Sufian Momin was from Maldah, West Bengal. They became friends while working at a multi-storey-building construction site in Mumbai. On Monday (April 13) evening, Momin gets a call from Vijay; later, other labourers from Maldah who were staying in Bandra east also receive similar phone-calls. Calls were also received by labourers from other states with a message for them to assemble at the bus stop near Bandra railway station on Tuesday afternoon with a demand: “either arrange our food, or arrange our return home”. Thus, the migrants from Maldah joined workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, others, at the said bus stop in Mumbai. 'THE INVISIBLES' by GOPAL DUTT SHARMA  The labourers later said that instead of either proving food or a passage home, police dispersed them with baton charge. Some were injured by the caning; but scared of being nabbed by the police, most preferred to suffer quietly at the shanties that are their temp...

Perhaps the biggest leap taken by mankind in recent time on social media or a messaging platform was with the invention of WhatsApp. It is free (almost), it is convenient, and it is ubiquitous! But armchair warriors have turned this boon into a bane! With several hate messages going viral on WhatsApp following north-east Delhi riots, @DelhiPolice tweeted on March 3: “Hey guys! Not done. You have taken the job of spreading नफ़रत so brazenly. Rest assured, we are watching you all, and mighty well. While we know some of these are fake IDs, be sure of our capabilities to hunt you down  😎 . Take this as a sweet warning! #DelhiPoliceNailsFake” An idea that was meant to unite is being used by bigots and zealots to divide. They are spreading falsehood and – through it – also hatred. There is a term that is being widely used for messages that have no basis, only bias – WhatsApp University. Again, this is how a senior police officer in India, @IPSMadhurVerma, m...