Of Race, Rape, and Republic

1. Lance Armstrong has been in news for being stripped of all his Tour de France titles and being banned from cycling for life due to doping allegations. A few days back, he admitted doping in a "no-holds barred" interview with Oprah Winfrey. This news came in as a shocker to millions of his fans throughout the world and there has been a wave of anger, disappointment, and disgrace about him since then. I too have been a huge of his, especially after reading his novel "It's not about the bike" - one of my all-time favorites. I feel sad about him and did not expect his dream career to see this end. However, I liked the fact that he had the guts to admit it all and apologize to people openly. Though this doping news makes his fight against stage-three cancer a little less illustrative, I still think it was a phenomenal battle. I wish to see him doing something remarkably good  for the society in the days to come.
2. The Delhi rape case has been in news for quite some time now. This has been one of the few cases where the media and the people haven't lost steam easily and have been following it up very closely. I think the sheer gruesomeness of this crime easily justifies the public anger and demand for the strictest punishment to the guilty. I feel that some of the positives that came out of this case such as public agitation and media attention urging the government to take faster steps to bring the guilty to book, steps being taken for making our country a safer place for women, public debates on critical issue like death penalty and juvenile justice act, and the potential amendments in rape laws would definitely help the girl's soul rest in peace.
3. Today, India celebrates her 64th Republic Day. I wish to see a resurgent, crime-free, and empowered India in the days to come.