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"black like me"

"Black Like Me" is one of the most revealing books that i have read. it not only reveals the racism that existed in america, it also makes you peep inside and look at the subtle prejudices that we form in our everyday life. the author of the book John Griffin darkened his skin (through medical means) and lived in the world of the black man to experience their reality … this book is his journal of living as a “negro” and as he says “ I offer it in all it’s crudity and rawness ”. his sorrow, despair and shame when he realizes how deep the prejudices are and how there are so many people who are in complete denial of the issue is very heart rendering. his analysis and conclusion about the issue are also very informative. one of the main reasons he cites for white supremacy is lack of communication amongst the races . as per his findings, the white man never communicated honestly with a “Negro”. as he says in his book - "always, in every encounter even with good whites, we ha...
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the "bhel" experience

there is this street hawker (thela) where we live, where Amit and i generally go to eat "bhelpuri". both of us like to engage in conversation with street vendors and while chatting with this guy, it came to our knowledge that one of the biggest issue these hawkers face is harassment from the local municipal corporation (MC). since the hawkers are not provided with any license to sell their wares, they are at the mercy of these MC officials. the MC personnel come anytime, confiscate the hawker's stuff and then usually demand a bribe to give them back their belongings. the MC officials obviously don't expect the street vendors to leave their spots once they leave – their only motivation is to make a quick buck. Which sadly, is what usually happens. anyways, we have had bhelpuri from this vendor (thela) a couple of times and whenever it came to throwing the used paper plate - he used to ask us to discard it in the open – right next to the steel railing where he stands. I...
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school time...

now that the team is all pepped - up, i am looking for avenues to market the stuff that these boys are making enthusiastically and am also looking for more easy designs for bags, cell phone covers, aprons, wall hangings, file covers etc. please pass on any ideas that you might have on this… meanwhile, i am also trying to send some of the younger boys to school. i have been working with these boys for the last one year but i have never directly talked to them about begging...i knew that the elder boys usually controlled one or two younger boys (generally their siblings) and made sure that the younger ones begged and gave their money to them or their parents at the end of the day...the elders also tried to earn by polishing shoes or begging but of course, are not as successful as the younger ones. i also had quite some idea as to who controls whom. so last week, i thought that it is time to do some plain talking as well as to experiment to send some of the younger ones to school. i start...
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