Where do they go? (Lost mobile phones)

  

                    Losing something can ruin your joyful day otherwise. Same happened with me while returning from the college. I went to police station to register a compliant with the hope that it can be easily traced as our country has all the technology and resources for that matter.  I lost all hopes  after my friend told me “nothing is going to happen, every day thousands of people lose their cell phones and nobody gets them back”. I wondered why is it happening, despite having all the chances of being caught why aren’t they are afraid of stealing. After contemplating, I concluded that it’s because of inactiveness.

               We have already seen the disastrous lapse when the police chose to ignore a carpenter’s complaint that he had been robbed on the same bus earlier that evening when the gangrape took place. Another rape, this city is again disgraced by the horrific rape of five year old child. The inactiveness and unwillingness of police personnel has again caused more agonies to already suffering parents of that child. The policemen first denied filing a case for the missing child and when the brutalized girl was found in a locked room nearby they tried to bribe the parents with 2000 rupees to get her treated. How insensitive they are? After all they are also human, they too have families and daughters in home and to add salt to the injury, a police official slapped a girl protester. These incidents are ridiculing the system of justice and society of our so called ‘Incredible India’.

       Who do you think the main culprits are? Besides, the perpetrators of that crime the persons who were responsible for the safety and security of this society who failed in doing their duties, the society which is unable to act despite recurrence of these events, the people or me; everyone is responsible. Whenever we hear these types of incidents, the first thing which comes to our mind is that something must be done. It has been years and everyone thought of this thing, nobody did anything. Though some of us went to India gate, lighted candles, several protests in different part of this country, but what results do we get out of these. For a week or two, there will be lot of brouhaha and then the matter will wither away.

             These are the big crimes which are coming into limelight with the help of media, but what about the petty crimes which are happening in every nook and corner of this city. Hundreds of people are looted of their mobile phones and purses every day. When they go to police station to complain about it, they are made to run from pillar to post from one police station to another with the excuse that the place where this happened is not under their jurisdiction and finally when they agree to report they file a missing complaint instead of stolen one. From what I have heard they do so just to escape all the work (which is their duty and for which they get paid) follows after filling of a stolen complaint. These petty crimes are sprouted seeds which are trying to build roots in the ground and if they are not pulled out they will grow to become large trees, pulling out from ground of which will become impossible.  

           We are living in 21^st century and in this second fastest developing country which the government claims but I believe we are the fastest degrading country morally and psychologically. We, the great Indian people, cannot get back our lost mobile phones despite of filing complaints and giving all the details to policemen. These things make me ashamed of myself, my country and all the people living in it. Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal thought of changing this country by way of protesting and forming a clean political party respectively but this move is going to take a lot of time, as they are targeting the big trees of evils which stand firm on the ground. We need to hit those small evil roots which can be removed easily, in this way we can prevent them from growing into big trees and spread its poison.

             This laidback attitude of the policemen is encouraging some morally weak persons to commit crime without any fear of being caught. More than 80% of crime can be stopped if we will have prompt reacting police department. More people can be encouraged to raise voices against these crimes when they will get an empathetic staff.  Half of the problem can be solved if we can get the police to act swiftly in these petty crimes. I want to change the situation I have no idea as to how. May be we can protest in Jantar Mantar with FIR copies of our lost mobile phones in hand and will protest till the time we don’t get them back and we can ask mr. Kejriwal to lead our protest as he is the worthy and deserving person who can lead us.Let's unite together and fight for this.

We live in a better world than before

                Lately I have been noticing that wherever I go, whoever I talk to, everyone is becoming so pessimist in their life. I don’t understand why they are so cynical about everything. I can’t find a single person who says that he is very much satisfied with his life, with the world and with the people around. You can always find them bemoaning about this world, the degrading values, the corruption, improper law and order in their state etcetera etcetera. They believe that society has lost its way and become deluded by false values like desire for luxury and status.

          Whoever you ask, how it’s like to live in present world, most of them are likely to answer ‘worse’, how it was like to be in the world some 200 years ago, the answer would be ‘better’. Everyone is sending negative vibes to their environment constantly grumbling how the world and particularly the mankind are on the verge of self-destruction. I often find myself wondering about life in historical era. Whenever I contemplate about that I find no reason to believe that our ancestors were better off than us. Let me tell you something which might make you realize that we are living in a better world than our forefathers.

         History is full of exploitation, illiteracy, dictatorship, injustice, wars, blah blah.  Those who think crime rates are more in the present world, to correct you past was full of crimes which were hidden within the family and society. These days newspapers are full of murders, rapes and other crimes but it’s not like past days were crime-free. Past era was full to these but they were not reported because the victims were less likely to get justice. All these incidents are reported because they hope that they will get justice. Poverty was rife and life was difficult. Technology has made our life easier that is why we get more and more time to think about little issues and that is why these little issues seem bigger and bigger the more we get time to think about them.  There was less opportunity to do what we like; there were not many facilities to entertain ourselves. Medical facilities are making life expectancy longer. Status of women was pathetic now they are empowered. Aren't these the reasons to feel happy about living in this contemporary world. 

           I am sure we all are living in a better world than before but I am not sure whether we are living in happier world or not.  In spite of all the things which are making life worthwhile we are not that happy because we as human we take things for granted. We do not feel happy about what we have; we appear to care more about the things which we do not have. This attitude is not letting us enjoy instead of that it’s making us feel deprived. How can we change this? By changing our attitude to life, to this world and by realizing that we are fortunate enough to live in this much peaceful world than before. This world is already a better place; we need to make it a happier place too by just taking our lives from negative to positive. This is how we can create a better tomorrow for everyone around us.

Bring back the lost instinct of kindness

     In the journey of life we come across many situations, some of which make us very blissful and lively and some of them are distressing and sometimes both. One such incident happened to me while going back to my hometown from Delhi. During the festival season many people who are working or studying in Delhi and have their family in other part of this country go to their own places. The bus station was full of public and vehicles. I waited for two hours long to board the bus, which was plied on that route. Having entered the bus I was very elated to get the window seat. Last year when I took a bus during a major festival I didn’t get seat, I had to travel standing all the way along and this made me more content this time. Sufferings are good sometimes they make us feel the happiness in little things we get, those things we take for granted otherwise.

          When the bus reached Moradabad station, a Muslim family boarded the bus. There was no empty seat so they kept standing on the floor of the bus. They were four members, the old couple and their daughter in law with a child. The old lady was sick therefore unable to stand so she sat on the floor of the bus. Whenever the bus stopped in the stations which came after every half an hour the passengers who were getting on and down made her stand.  One thought of offering her my seat came to my mind but I had to travel a long distance and a seat once gone is gone. I thought maybe someone near her would offer her the seat. Suddenly unable to bear the pain she started crying out loud. I looked at her and then at other passengers near her, no one seemed to care except one girl whose was subconsciously imitating her facial expression. I was sure that she might offer that poor lady her seat but was quite surprised to see that after some minutes she acted like nothing is happening. Her daughter in law was constantly consoling her.

 When she again started crying I couldn’t take it more. I offered her my seat, she was so ill that she struggled to come to my seat which was just two meters from there. Inspired by my actions my fellow passenger also offered his seat to her daughter in law. Her daughter in law threw a glad look at me. I cannot describe the inner peace I felt at that time. I came to know that sthe old lady was mentally disturbed too. I looked at other passengers in the bus they looked like some heartless statues without empathy, like a animal. I knew that I might not get a seat on that journey but fortunately I found one. Next to me was a man who started talking to me who was moaning about the spoiled world, I wanted to tell him the reason, the very same reason, which happened there but I didn’t.

I share because I care. If that random act of kindness can inspire one person in that bus, I believe this article in my blog can inspire million others. This will help me create my dream world , a world where there will be a lot better tomorrow for everyone

How an ideal politician will look like

        This thought came to my mind, when I was waiting for my friend to come and pick me up from a bus stand to the exam center.  This bus stand was one of the most indispensable as it is situated in the heart of this capital city. Almost all the major routes pass from that stand; still the condition of that bus station was so pathetic. I was wondering as who is to blame. Should I blame myself for not doing something about it, general public who litter everywhere or the politician who are ruling the country and have munched up all the funds which were supposed to be allocated for infrastructure and welfare?

This is not the story of just one bus stand. This is the story of every nook and corner of this country except few VIP areas where politicians and rich businessmen reside.  In VIP areas of this country, you will find more security personnel and sweepers than the actual number of people residing there but they are rarely seen in the most densely populated areas where they are needed most. When a politician is chosen as an MLA or MP, his fortune rises from few thousands to millions in just a year or two years.  Don’t we know from where all this wealth is coming from? We all know still we are letting this to happen. Why are we so helpless and numb to this problem? Even if we thorough him out and elect a new one what is the guarantee that he is not going to be the same as previous one. The real question is what can we do? From where can we find our ideal politician?

“Ideal Politician”? that would have clicked in your mind and you would be wondering what would he look like? what would he be? He will be our saviour.  He will not hide behind the walls of posh colonies. He will be living among us where majority of the population lives. He is not going to tour the flood affected areas by his helicopter instead of that he will visit that area and talk to the affected by physically present there. He will not ride in his luxurious cars around the city causing traffic jams for the common people, instead of this he will visit those places like that bus stand and will notice the short-comings and will be determined to remove those. He is not going to look like a businessman dressed in suits or an obese man with his large tummy like a pregnant lady. He is going to look like as a common man who has been selected by common people to work for them.

An ideal politician would not be dressed like out of crowd dressing like each and every politician in our country dresses. I don’t know what they want to prove by dressing this way. Our present day politician’s lifestyle is not like the lifestyle of 90% of the population, instead of that they are living a lifestyle which only 10% population is capable of living. Then how come we expect those politicians to understand our problems. That day my problem was the pathetic situation of that bus stand, a person who has never been there is never going to understand that problem.

According to me the only politician who is closest to be called as an 'IDEAL' is Arvind Kejriwal, other are not even in this race. He is the one who is there for common man. This is evident from the protest against gang rape in Delhi or other protests related to electricity bills and corruption. He is the one who raised the problems not like the politician but like a common man. ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ is the name of his party and he totally justifies the name. Mind it, I am not a member of that party nor I am directly getting benefited from writing in support of him. But yes, I will be benefited as a citizen of a country improving and developing in real terms if he comes to power.

              One more thing which makes him ideal politician is his fearlessness. A person without any opposition or any of the political party’s support stood against the government. A government which never did anything against Ravi Balkrishna (Baba Ramdev’s aide) in fake passport case until he turned against government with Baba Ramdev. This government who can dig your past as long as 20 years back, it’s impossible for us to raise our voice against government. It is because the functioning of the government departments in India have forced us do some illegal things like bribing them to get a LPG connection or make our driving license.  At least one person from our family would have bribed or would have done something wrong which can come from the past and haunt us.

An officer in Income Tax department and a leading member of several NGOs would have a huge property but he doesn't have and I don’t think if he comes to power his wealth is going to increase that much as increases in the case of other MLAs.  These rare traits are found in him which makes him best choice as an Ideal Politician. He is the one who can lead this country for a better tomorrow. 

When Strikes will serve the general purpose

            
              It’s a common exercise to go into protests and strikes if you are unhappy with any government action.  These are a powerful weapon is the hands of general public to shake and wake the government to do its duties. The eggshell has never been thinner for the government to walk on than ever. Many of the protests in recent past have come to fruition but many have led to disasters. The most worrying trend is the strikes going violent too often.  Last week I woke up in the morning to know that trade unions here in India have called an all India strike to protest against the policies of UPA government. I have nothing to do with these strikes but what makes me upset is that the violence and damage to public and private properties. 

I had to reach college at time. I mostly take bus to reach college and fortunately city buses were available that day, so there wasn’t a sign of trouble for me. Next day when I took the newspaper, it read 

       “On the first day of the strike on Wednesday, mobs pelted stones at private offices, burned down a factory and vehicles, including a fire engine. Police claimed some of the protesters arrested were disgruntled workers. But a majority of them were youngsters, between the age of 18 and 25, who looted LCDs, computers, laptops, expensive office furniture and rolls of cloth from a hosiery unit”.

This made me very upset. Everybody in this country seems to moan about inactive government; streets are dirty, potholes in the roads, about poor infrastructure but what are we doing? Further damaging already poor infrastructure, worsening the problem.  If this is going to be the way of protesting then do we really think they are going to serve the purpose?

Protest over a  gang rape in Delhi turned violent. Almost all the major protests turn violent and they fail to serve the purpose. Instead of coming to a solution, they complicate the problems.   Protesters jam the traffic which disrupts public life.  I read in newspaper that a patient died in the ambulance because he didn’t reach hospital on time. If your protest is taking life of innocent civilians, policemen, disrupting public movement, damaging public and private property then it’s better to don’t go on strike.

              If we want a better nation we should stop harming it anyway, even if we are not satisfied or unhappy with something we should peacefully and legally protest it. If you are marching towards Raisina hill( residence of Indian President), posing a threat for the security of president who is considered as the most important person by constitution and expect to be welcomed by the security there, then you are at fault. There are other harmless means which we can adopt to show our unhappiness. It takes a lot of time to change a nation towards better, we cannot change it overnight, just wait for the right time like elections when they come to us to ask for our vote, that is the right time to strike.’ Strike the iron when it is hot’. The protest of Anna Hazare was the ideal one without any single instance of violence. If violence is taken care of properly, I truly believe that protests will serve their purposes. If all these go well, it will have positive impact on society leading to a better tomorrow for everyone. 

Little Act of Good Deeds

Ever since I stepped into this metropolitan city from a small town, it seems like I am exposed to a completely different world.  No one can deny that life in big cities is more difficult than smaller towns but does that mean we don’t need to care for others; we should be mean to everybody? No, right? Then why are we? Let me take you through one little incident of my life which made a big difference.

 I always have to take a crowded bus to reach my college. It’s very hard to find a place where we can stand comfortably without pushed by someone, let alone getting a seat. Whenever a passenger leaves his seat to get down from the bus, everybody around that seat rushes to grab that seat. No one seems to care about the elderly people or women who are standing there. It doesn’t feel that we are living in human world. It becomes more difficult to carry a bag with you but I need to carry it every day. One day when I took that bus to go home back from college, it was very much crowded as usual. Somehow I boarded the bus and dragged myself ahead towards the front part of the bus so that I can keep my bag in the shelf but found it impossible to reach there.  I stood there beside a seat where an elderly man and a girl were sitting. I was struggling hard to hold my bag in my hand as I was carrying some books weighing more than 7 kilograms. It’s not that I cannot hold 7 kilos in my hand, it were the people who were passing by congested space pushing everyone aside who was standing there. On top of that, it was a hot afternoon of June and I was constantly wiping sweat from my face. She noticed me getting fidgety and offered to hold the bag. I gave him the bag and felt relieved. I felt happy because the help was unexpected and that little ‘thank you’ word looks nothing for what she has done to me by that act. It is very unusual to get help in a crowded bus from three kinds of persons; a beautiful girl, a big bellied well dressed person and fat ignorant lady who always chews something or other and finds seat for herself anyhow.

She lost nothing by this small help but by this act she made me very happy. All my worries faded away. I never knew this little help of someone can make me that happy. It had overarching effects on me. It came most unexpected. That event inspired me to help others by these kind of small acts which can have positive impact on others. Whenever I get seat in any bus now, I look around and check if there is someone who needs that seat more than me.

Whenever I used to hear this quote ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’, I used to think that the world is such a big place for just one person to change. But that event changed my mind-set. Now I am aware of the multi-productive effects of these little acts which can make big difference to someone’s life.

That single event has positive effects on my life and behavior and I hope that the change in my behavior will affect others. This way it can make some difference in many persons’ lives. I hope whoever will read this post, if in a situation, is going to offer his seat to someone who are more in need of it or speak politely to his co-passengers or similar acts. If followed, Don’t you think no one can stop this world from becoming a better place to live? 

Save Next Generation

                        

      
            A newborn baby's mind is like a tabula rasa (blank state) which is then shaped by the forces of society and the environment around him/her. The people we see around us and whatever their nature or personality is, all shaped by the different environment they come into contact.  All the people they ever came into contact with them certainly have some impression to a certain extent on them. 

This world is full of bad personalities too, the persons who are not good for the society, there might be murderers, thieves or any kind of criminals. Whenever we see them or read about them, it’s certain that we may hate them but have you ever thought about why they act that way. A few of them might be in very bad circumstances but most of them have low values in their lives. There are many people who are in acute need of something but they don’t choose the path of crime to fulfill their needs. A person with low values might resort to a path which is not acceptable in society in order to fulfill his/her need. The newspapers are filled with news of crimes, scams or anything which reflects the deteriorating values in lives of people.  Is their life worth living???

I don’t know how fix those spoiled personalities but I think I certainly know how to save the future generations from spoiling, by fixing their childhood. If you are earning money through bad means and you expect your children to be honest and loyal citizen then you are wrong. First of all set examples to them by being honest to your family, to your friends and to your government. I have seen the parents who make a lot of money by wrong means they have no control over kids, their kids are not successful. Just look around you, you will find lots of examples. I have seen those families who are driven by moral values in their life, they are satisfied with their life and their children are doing well in their life. 

Be well managed and treat everyone well at-least in front of your kids because they are going to learn everything what they see. If a person calls you and you don't want to talk just don't tell your children to lie on the phone. 

Teach them moral values. Make them understand how important it is to have values in our lives. Make them realize 'A life without values is like a car without steering'. 

 The future of your kid is in your hand, and the best way to save their future by being a role model to them. This is the least you can do for contributing towards a better world.