Monday, September 27, 2010

Ram or Muhammad.......... does it matter so much???


Within few hours from the time I complete this post on my blog, the nation might be getting a decision from the court, which was being awaited more than the time it took to reach this day! Will it be a mosque or a Ram mandir, nobody knows. Of course every leader or senior litigants are saying that they will welcome the court's decision and will accept it. but does they really mean it? I mean, will this issue be settled as soon as the decision is out??? Any answer guys?

The apex court's order deferring Friday's verdict on Ayodhya title suit by Allahabad High court to September 28, has evoked mixed reactions for the sixty year old dispute. And as far as the question of out-of-the-court-settlement of the issue through reconciliation stands, it doesn't seem to move a single step ahead. Rather, it has taken a back seat, so much that one can't even get a slight glimpse of it now. This is our India, a great one and of course a modern one nowadays, where we are still hovering around the same problems, same issues, that we were up to at the time of partitions-1947. Then how can we be sure of the ultimate settlement of the issue here??? Came so far, still lagging behind by a huge leap!

The nation is holding its breath for the judgement. Will the masjid-mandir issue erupt again in violence? Will we again fall at the point, we started off from? Of course, various party leaders & other senior litigants are appealing for the peace. But not a single proponent is appearing to take a step back from their position, in order to reach a settlement. Also, whatever court decides, it won't be the end of matter, it will be surely (just hope it doesn't !) taken to the apex court, then to the parliament for a ridiculous and disgusting discussion, and then of course, not to forget our favorite tactic, "the public agitation". Guys, haven't we lost too much to get into all these stuffs again? Since the day this decades-old matter erupted, it has costed our nation and mankind as well, the lives of many Hindu as well as lots of our Muslim brothers. And of course so much of the capital and human resources, which was wasted on security to prevent the eruption of riots, to treat the victims, and all those which, if spent on development of people and in uplifting their status of life, would have contributed substantially. And even then, nobody can assure that all this won't happen again once the decision is out. Rather most of us are anticipating such riots as the consequences of this much awaited decision, and rightly done,that the UP govt, as a precautionary measure, asked for the reinforcement of 30,000 paramilitary troops. After all, security does matter my friend! But will anybody tell me-- what does a daily wage-earner, who hardly gets two meal a day, has to do with this? What does a new-born baby, safe enough in mother's lap, has to do with this word "security"? What does an unemployed person, whose family hasn't received a meal due to lack of money, has to do with the decision? Will a person lying almost fainted on the hospital bed, approve the expenditure on such riots, when the hospital infrastructure are lacking funds to provide adequate treatment??? Not at all, I must tell you!

The actual problem, what I feel, is that we don't really value what we speak or don't speak what we actually value! On one hand, people talk about being secular and brotherhood, and all that sweet-sounding stuffs, and on the other hand, we are finding that on the matter of Ayodhya, none of the proponents are ready to accept the truth. The truth which if we have accepted earlier, would have really helped those who lost their lives and kins, their shelters, employment, and so much more, still un-figured! We are ready to kill or die for our religion, for our community, but is this the religion or merely a political way of dealing??? What I really mean to say is that both the religion, Hinduism and Islam, are universal in their common feeling of tolerance, compassion, sacrifice, brotherhood and forgiving others. But the tragedy of the present time is that these commonalities are being stamped & hampered, in the turmoil of politically-ignited-sectarian war!

Don't we have much to fight for- take for instance, poor health amenities, living condition, illiteracy, unemployment, etc. 
In my opinion, if we are really religious and want to do anything for our religion, we, instead of fighting for making a mosque or temple, should do something which both the religion feel proud on. Forget about spending lacs and crores in this dispute, rather try to establish a hospital, one with real good facilities, so that the wounds of this decade long case are healed. Try to establish a school, with free education to all, which would teach the people, what a religion really says. Try to make shrine for those who don't have anyone to take care of, so that they don't complain to our religion for their dooms. Make a children park, where the real future of our nation can really get nurtured in a healthy environment. and so on.....! And I promise, neither Lord Ram, nor his spiritual brother, Prophet Muhammad, would object to this!

Won't say that my blog will bring about a major change! I really don't expect that at all. But if a single mind and heart can understand what I want to say and do actually what it requires to, it would become a dream nation to live in coming days! Seems that the blog says the same, ONE STEP, THAT'S ALL IT TAKES guys!!!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

THE UNCOMMON WEALTH GAMES....

Don't get away with the title above, its still the very 'Common Wealth Games', although, one of the most uncommon, I think!
As we approach towards the result part of this four year years long franticism in the national capital, the fears of getting emabarassed hover around us, even the night dreams are not spared! With media investigating & muckraking hard over the CWG and its brazen handling, we the common part of this Wealth Games, are left thinking whether all this are worth it or not.

India celeberated when C.M. of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dixit recieved the torch of CWG, an approval of the fact that we, the Indians, wll be hosting it four years later. The concerned authority and the organisatons, whether government or non-govt., showed a lot of concerns to make the Games become a huge success for our nation's pride and credibility along with fostering the sporting  passion in the nation.But what thereafter??? The real loot-fest started from the day the Games reached India. Right from the low level builders, contractors, etc to the high level Organising Committee members and its Chairman, it seems that everybody is in somekind of race to win. A race to make most of the allotted funds, which I must tell you, already has crossed its original figures many times.INCREDIBLE INDIA, isn't it???

The leaders are presenting or trying to present before us a picture of a world-class Games venues and success, with the promise that the venues(can't call them venues still!) will be ready very soon and in the stipulated time. But will anybody tell me what is their so called "Stipulated Time-Limit"? At the start it was six months, then three months and now it has drowned to the hopeless 15 days. Not at all startling if someone fears to compare it with the huge Olympic Games and says that the oomph has lost from these games (add to it that the big names have already chosen to stay out of this and ofcourse the doping tests getting positive for many big names in our nation too).

In a country with some of the world's lowest labour costs and relatively cheap construction materials, comparisons with other international venues are obviously irrelevant. But the figure that comes out are really startling, the 2006 Melbourne Games ran up a bill of $1 billion compared to the expected (never expect anything from these guys) Delhi sports expenditure of $12 billion. What about the extra money guys? Whatever hopes some people had of the games seeing what the Beijing Olympics did for China, has long been discarded. With such a huge fiscal malpractice and gross mismanagement of funds, I can assure you (ofcourse I am not trying to take away the credits from these organisers, who have already assured it) that we will be getting poorer by a grotesque figure of about $30 billion, as in rush to get Delhi ready for the Games, there has been little responsibility of how & where the funds have been spent. Still some of us are viewing it as a part of Games-Driven-Development.

It's been our legacy that we are never on time and have a lot of funds to waste on anything (not to complain if half of the population don't have roof over their heads & grains inside the body). Once a Japanese delegation, which was on a visit to India, commented that 'almost everybody in India carries a wrist-watch on their hands, but there's hardly anybody who is there on time!' We have the largest democracy in the world and it seems that the award of largest bunch of minister also goes to us, even then these hypocrites don't know how & where to spend!

What I mean by this is that there must be some criteria on which the allocation of funds are made to have such paraphernalia-whose worth are still a big question for the economy & budget and ofcourse, the public too. We all know the 1982 Asiad. It's been a sobering example of how little mega events can do towards sports in any country. Stadiums remain vacant after the games. The fund allocation & decision making must be open to public display & public must be encouraged to participate in decision making & their valuable opinions must be realised. But in our great nation (don't know whether the greateness will remain after this loot-fest ends up), nobody even bothers about auditing the games at all as that will reveal large scale corruption. Don't forget that Quasi-Nationalistic appeal of Mrs. Sheila Dixit, to not to behave in an anti-nationalistic way by spreading any wrong messages about CWG. But will anybody go & ask her, what should we call this frantic activity, that has been  going on in Delhi for four years, a nationalistic activity, which will raise the pride of our nation to a new height in the coming days? ( just wish this had been the case)

Who will take the responsibility if the Games become a failure? Don't even try to bother to look for answers, as the answers are even more bothering! With the games just hanging around to start, we are left with nothing, but to just wait & watch. With a hope that the venues & at leats some of the important infrastructure are ready before the actual shot day. In the coming days, Delhi will cover its reality with an idea to distract & mesmerize guests with pomp and colour. But, its very important & necessary too, that with India planning to bid for 2019 Asiad & harbouring ambitions-admittedly improbable-of bidding for 2020 Olympics, lessons from this shambolic run-up to the games must not be forgotten when talk of hosting another mega sporting event comes up!!!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I QUIT............

Two words.... and its all over! STILL ALL IS WELL??? Huh...!

Just going through one of the many columns of  'The Times of India', containing a hand-written suicide note, when the whole scene of the recent blockbuster, 3 IDIOTS, just creeped before my eyes and that so without a single blink! Right from the shot when JOY asked VIRUS for some more time and relaxation (thank god he didn't ask for his daughter, otherwise VIRUS himself would have slaughtered him & I would have been writing on some other topic! Just...MAY BE! Nothing else.) to complete his project and VIRUS refused & ranged up his dad. and then how it all happened..."I QUIT...!"

Very nice movie; a must watch for all; what a splendid movie by Aamir;... these were the reviews of film critics and the audiences coming out of the large AIR-CONDITIONED MULTIPLEXES or the small Cinema-Ghars! Is this all??? Only to say these beautifull comments on film is our duty? Surely the film crew members would have been ecstatic on hearing to those mind-blasting reviews, but is that all? Did we, the common people of this uncommon nation, for a single moment, thought that whether or not we are losing something very precious? And at what cost? For the former, the answer is big NO..., leave apart some positives (very rare, I must tell you). Did we ever introspected ourselves why we are ending up losing so many young geniuses? Again the answer is a familiar one, NO...! Why i am calling them 'Young Geniuses' is just because I feel that human brain is the greatest machine one could ever imagine! So in my opinion, best always excels, may be the field of its excellence be different! But why to waste geniuses, the best, if it couldn't excell in the field where we silly people want it to be???

The note that I was just able to read, said - '....no more pain for others, and no more sufferings for me. i was making them feel ashamed, so hope that after me, they would surely feel proud....'

I won't start mentioning the real problem and its very cause before you as all of us are fully aware of it and its causes. What i want to say is that we must, at least for a single time, think of what we are losing and what we are gaining out of that. Many of our very educated parents, teachers, or anybody (won't say that any particular set of persons are responsible for this, as in the present context, everybody is equally responsible) think that if their ward is not at the top, then its a matter of shame for them, like "log kya khenge humare bare me, kis cheez ki kami chhori thi jo tum itna bhi nahi kar paye, naak katwa di hamari tumne to, isse to achha hota ki tu humen zeher de deta ya khud zeher le leta" and all that mind boggling stuffs! For those, i would just like to say one line- "Kya ye izzat aapke bachchon ki jaan se jada jaruri hai? Those who are at the top of their profession, they are there just because they have chosen the work they loved always, not what their parents or teachers loved."


To conclude, I would just like to say- 'Dont force them down, rather try to back them up. don't make them feel scared from some of the many sacred words we pronounce- PARENTS or TEACHERS'.