Saturday 21 October 2017

Random thoughts 22102017

Travelling on a train in North India after many , many days. I always find train journeys to be very interesting and educative . Observing people , places, languages, food and habits always leave an impression.

But with time, we have grown just that bit softer and while travelling with family , try to make them comfortable. So as I travel in the comfort of airconditioned environment of a Shatabdi train to Dehradun, I find half the charm of my wooly headed romance of train travel missing. But well , considering the heat and dust of the rough landscape outside , I don't miss it too.

One thing that immediately strikes to mind , off hand is that the sound and noise about cleanliness drive is a sheer nonsense on ground . If the places along the railway tracks around the NCR can remain so unclean , then what is happening elsewhere is better left to imagination. Secondly , it is high time that humankind especially Indians come out with a solution to the scourge of plastics. Some sort of organic or inorganic process , perhaps some enzyme or some recycled mode of disposal is just necessary now, otherwise we are doomed.

Plastic , which helps to make our lives comfortable , is also our biggest enemy.  All around , the ground is littered with plastic and why shouldn't it be . In the last 16 hours, the two of us have used and discarded six plastic bottles , four plastic cups , sundry wrappers and packets. A burden that I am leaving behind for future generations . I realise this but am I bothered about it ? I don't really know.

*****************
Travelling on a train in North India after many , many days. I always find train journeys to be very interesting and educative . Observing people , places, languages, food and habits always leave an impression.

But with time, we have grown just that bit softer and while travelling with family , try to make them comfortable. So as I travel in the comfort of airconditioned environment of a Shatabdi train to Dehradun, I find half the charm of my wooly headed romance of train travel missing. But well , considering the heat and dust of the rough landscape outside , I don't miss it too.

One thing that immediately strikes to mind , off hand is that the sound and noise about cleanliness drive is a sheer nonsense on ground . If the places along the railway tracks around the NCR can remain so unclean , then what is happening elsewhere is better left to imagination. Secondly , it is high time that humankind especially Indians come out with a solution to the scourge of plastics. Some sort of organic or inorganic process , perhaps some enzyme or some recycled mode of disposal is just necessary now, otherwise we are doomed.

Plastic , which helps to make our lives comfortable , is also our biggest enemy.  All around , the ground is littered with plastic and why shouldn't it be . In the last 16 hours, the two of us have used and discarded six plastic bottles , four plastic cups , sundry wrappers and packets. A burden that I am leaving behind for future generations . I realise this but am I bothered about it ? I don't really know.

*****************

Had a somewhat new experience yesterday which highlighted the great changes that have taken place in our lives over the last few decades. Reaching Delhi,  we proceeded to our hotel Ginger, Rail Yatri Niwas , previously booked. I had chosen this hotel primarily because of its vicinity to the station as we had to board a train next day, quite early in the morning.

We reached the hotel around 8.30 p.m. At the reception, I produced my reservation slip and was asked to produce an identification card. I submitted my Aadhar card. But to my surprise the reception clerk wanted some I-card for my wife too. This had never happened before .


Calling out my wife , seated on a sofa , across the hall , I joked - "give me your I-card , perhaps they don't think you're my wife."  My wife came up to the counter and passed on her ITax Card to the receptionist. What happened next  is the reason for writing this post.

The receptionist refused to acknowledge the IT card as proof of identity as it did not carry any address .  My wife did not carry her aadhar card , driving license , bank passbook or passport as suggested by him. Moreover , she got annoyed and raised her voice. I could see that her feminist tendencies raising the hackles. Moreover , since the last few years , she thinks that being a lawyer's mother she can tackle any rules and regulations in her stride and take legal action on anybody who comes across her way . But the receptionist remained adamant and I must say he retained his cool and remained polite , a novelty considering it was Delhi and a Rail service.

I am myself a short tempered person but realised that the matter was not heading anywhere with the stonewalling by the receptionist taking refuge behind some rules which we were perhaps not aware. And you can't really do anything against a polite official ( a lesson learnt).  It was already getting late and we wanted to snatch a couple of hours for a short Delhi tour. So I asked the guy if some scanned copy would do . He agreed to this idea as a concession. 

Next job was to contact our son at home , get him open his mother's cupboard , rumage through her bag get her passport out , take photos and send it to me , via Whatsapp message. All this took five minutes or so . And we were handed over the room keys in another five minutes, me relieved but my wife furious.

Later , we joked about the whole thing and wondered what the world was coming to. Two adults , well past their prime can't live together in a hotel room without showing proof of their residence. Moreover , we are a bit tentative as not sure what will happen if at some places they refuse to accept the scanned copies and demand that the original be produced. What do we do then , live on the footpath ?

But some lessons were well learnt from the episode.

1. Aadhar card is omnipotent . Now  our whole lives have been taken over by it.

2. Life has really changed over the last few decades. Nobody asked me anything when I took my young wife to hotels earlier but now don't want to allow my old wife with me unless she proves it .

3. Technology has really eased matters a lot and solutions can be had of problems quickly.

4. It is better to carry a scanned copy of identity card on the smart phone . But what happens if it falls into the hands of others is a concern.


Tuesday 17 October 2017

Shayari copied from places and persons


माना कि, तेरी नजरो में सजा का हकदार था,

जरा आँखों में आँखे डाल के बता गुनहगार कौन था


तकलीफ़ मिट गई मगर एहसास रह गया

ख़ुश हूँ कि कुछ न कुछ तो मेंरे पास रह गया


यूँ तो बेवजह कुछ भी नही ज़िन्दगी में

हर एक वजह का बोझ ढोना ही पड़ता है


प्रेम या सम्मान का भाव 

सिर्फ उन्हीं के प्रति रखिएगा।

जो आपके मन की भावनाओं 

को समझते हैं।

कहते है कि

जलो वहाँ , जहाँ जरूरत हो।

उजालों में चिरागों के 

मायने नहीं होते।

        

परिंदे शुक्रगुजार हैं,पतझड़ के भी दोस्तो*

*तिनके कहां से लाते,जो सदा  बहार रहती"*

तंज़ कसते रहो तुम उम्र भर... धुएँ की कालिख पर,


मैं तो इक चराग हूँ  ....मेरी फितरत है  रौशनी देना.

इत्तफाक से तो नही टकराये हम,


कुछ तो साजिश खुदा की भी होगी

मैंने तो माँगा था थोड़ा सा उजाला अपनी जिंदगी में


वाह रे चाहने वाले तूने तो आग ही लगा दी जिंदगी में

कर सकते हो तो किसी का भला करो !! ..


बुरा करने के लिए तो मोदी जी बैठे ही हैं 

तमन्ना ने जिंदगी के आँचल में


सर रख कर पूछा -


"मै कब पूरी होउंगी?"

जिंदगी ने हँसकर जवाब दिया-


"जो पूरी हो जाये वो तमन्ना ही क्या!"

अंदर ही अंदर से


खोखले हो जाते हैं घर


जब दीवारों में


पानी भर जाता है...

मिलीं तो बहुत


तेरे बाद मगर ,

तू किसी चेहरे में


नज़र नहीं आयी

...ये कौन शख़्स है


इसको ज़रा बुलाओ तो ,

     ये मेरे हाल पे


क्यूँ मुस्कुरा के गुज़रा है ,

अजब अंदाज़ से


  ये घर गिरा है ,

   मेरा मलबा


मेरे ऊपर गिरा है , mn

नाम तो काँटों का ही लगेगा,


ये सोचकर

कई बार फूल भी, चुपचाप ज़ख्म दे जाते हैं।

Collected from internet

CD hain par usme sex nahin hain. 

Marksheet hain par degree nahi hain. 

Ram hain par mandir nahi hain. 

Bhashaan hain par vikaas nahi hain. 

 MoU hain par investment nahi hain. 

Corruption hain par arrests nahin hain.

Swiss bank accounts hain par naam nahi hain. 


(Courtesy Veer Pal Kamal Ji)

Chaoukidaar hain par tijori mein paisa nahi hain.

Swacha Bharat cess hain par Bharat Swaccha nahi hain.


And last but not the least, Pradhan Sevak hain par insaan nahi hain !!


-Amit Behera


"And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in."

Haruki Murakami

Was the Konkan Railways constructed by the Indian Army?


Just the other day, I was reading about Konkan Railways. An extremely challenging route of 738 Kilometers through some of the most difficult terrain was constructed in less than 10 years.


The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited was incorporated on 19 July 1990 and the track opened for traffic on 26 January 1998. There is about 2000 big and small bridges and 92 tunnels in the entire track length. The longest tunnel is the Karbude Tunnel and is 6.5 Kms long. The Panvell Viaduct (210 ft.) constructed on this line was the third tallest viaduct in Asia when the line was completed. 


And now a BJP government needs the Indian Army to construct a footbridge over tracks in the Elphinstone Station? 


What is one to say about this if not a stupid political gimmick?

********************

The owner of an underwear making company was having a tough time with stock shortages.On departure for home all worker's bags were searched and everything always seemed to be OK.  All security measures you can think of were put in place, Auditors were called in but still no one was caught and stock continued to disappear.All workers including management were checked on departure, each wearing just one underwear and no one was caught with more than one pair.

Then one day security was advised to check all workers on arrival. He got shock of his life when he found that all the workers including management had no underwear on them.

This is not a joke. This is a reality about corrupt people. There is no suitably used system to check what the corrupt person wore when that person entered the factory.


आप किसी सरकारी अस्पताल में चले जाएं ,वहां 2-4 घन्टे  व्यतीत करें ,फिर आपको समझ मे आ जायेगा सरकारे क्या करती हैं , आप अस्पताल के स्टाफ,डॉक्टर को दोष नही दे सकते, हो सकता है कुछ गलत हों उनमे से ,असंवेदनशील भी ,परन्तु किसी व्यक्ति की कार्यक्षमता से अधिक बोझ, उसके कार्य के स्तर को प्रभावित करता है,साथ ही साथ असंवेदनशील बना देता है ,अस्पतालों में भी यही स्थिति है, डॉक्टर कम, स्टाफ कम, मरीजो का बोझ, स्वाभाविक है असंवेदनशील हो जाएंगे ही । 

अस्पताल में अमूमन गरीब परिवार वाले ही जाते हैं ,सौंदर्यविहीन मरीज, हमारी संवेदनशीलता भी सौन्दर्यप्रेमी हो चुकी है, गरीब,बूढ़ी, गन्दी ,काली-सांवली महिलाओं में सौंदर्य कहा मिलेगा,फिर उनका इलाज भी तो जानवरो की तरह ही होगा ?

कल द्रवित हो गया मन, दिल भर आया, अस्पताल को देखकर, काश यह शराबबन्दी,दहेजबन्दी जैसी नौंटकी बन्द कर के सरकार अस्पतालों पर ,स्कूल और कॉलेजों पर ध्यान देती ।

Via ~ मदन तिवारी ~


 Lost in thoughts, I wasn’t adequately alert this morning. So on drawing 10k at an ATM I walked out of the booth, forgetting to collect the cash from the mouth of the machine’s bin. I woman in a blue dress was awaiting her turn as I passed by. Having walked about fifty steps, I realised I had forgotten to collect the money I withdrew. But by then, the cash had disappeared. So had the woman. 

So much for honesty. But I’ve none else except myself to blame.

Lao Tzu, on who is a good leader 

"A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worst when they despise him. Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aims fulfilled, they will all say, "We did this ourselves." "

Lao Tzu : Chapter 17, Tao Te Ching, fundamental text for Taois 

"There are some bored foreigners, with full stomachs, who have nothing better to do than point fingers at us ... First, China doesn't export Revolution; second, China doesn't export hunger and poverty; third, China doesn't come and cause to you headaches, what more is there to be said." -- Xi Jinping

The paradox of our times

A box of chocolates named Cadbury's Celebrations costs 160/- but the chocolates inside the box are worth just 125/- (at MRP)

The box goes right into the dustbin.

But it is the penchant for a big box of gift that makes many of us give the box rather than giving extra loose chocolates.

No wonder it is called 'Celebrations'. The company laughs all the way to the bank. 

Vinod Chand

*************************

How to Sell Combs to Monks ?

3 sales professionals applied to work for a huge company. As they were all evenly qualified, the interviewer decided to set a sales challenge and the person who sold the most would be awarded the job.


The challenge was to sell combs to monks of any temple up in the mountains. "You have 3 days, and the person who sells the most will get the job" said the interviewer.


After 3 days, the 3 applicants returned, and reported their results.


Candidate 1 said "I managed to sell one comb. The monks scolded me, saying I was openly mocking them. Disappointed, I gave up and left. But on my way back, I saw a junior monk with an itchy scalp; he was constantly scratching his head. I told him the comb would help him with his scratching and he bought one comb"


Candidate 2 said "That's good, but I did better. I sold 10 combs." Excited, the interviewer asked "How did you do it?" Candidate 2 replied "I observed that the visitors had very messy hair due to the strong winds they faced while walking to the temple. I convinced the monk to give out combs to the visitors so they could tidy themselves up and show greater respect during their worship."


Candidate 3 stepped up "Not so fast, I sold more than both of them." "How many did you sell" asked the interviewer.

"A Thousand Combs"


"Wow! How did you do it?" the interviewer exclaimed.

"I went to one of the biggest temples there, and thanked the Senior Master for serving the people and providing a sacred place of worship for them. He was very gracious and said he would like to thank and appreciate his visitors for their support and devotion. I suggested that the best way would be to offer his visitors a momento and the blessing of Buddha. I showed him the wooden combs which I had engraved words of blessings and told him people would use the combs daily and would serve as a constant reminder to do good deeds. He liked the idea, and proceeded to order a thousand combs"

"You got lucky," one of the other candidates said bitterly.

"Not really," the interviewer countered.. "He had a plan, which was why he had the comb engraved prior to his visit. Even if that temple did not want it, another one surely would."

"There is more," the third candidate smiled. "I went back to the temple yesterday to check on the Master. He said many visitors told their friends and family about the comb with the Buddha's blessing. Now even more people are visiting every day. Everyone is asking for the comb, and giving generous donations too! The temple is more popular than ever, and the Master says he will run out of the combs in a month... and will need to order more!"

Learning Points:

The three different candidates show us the different levels of sales performance:

Candidate 1 displayed the most basic level, which is to meet the prospect's personal needs. The monk with the itchy scalp had a personal need; it was specific to him only.

Candidate 2 shows the next level - anticipating and creating new needs for the prospect. Perhaps the monk doesn't have an obvious need for the comb, but how can it still be beneficial to him? When you can educate the prospect on new possibilities and benefits for his business, you are already outperforming your competitors.

Candidate 3 demonstrates the best level of all; an ongoing relationship resulting in repeat sales and referrals. Everyone was a winner, the monk, the devotees, the 3rd candidate and the interviewer. Help your prospects benefit their prospects, to create maximum value. View each prospect not as individuals, but also their contacts and network beyond them. See each customer as lifetime clients instead of one time sales.

Our beliefs and thoughts shape our actions and ultimately our results. 


When faced with a challenge, how do you respond? And how big do you think?

Variations on the quote below have been misattributed as a response to a toast, by John Swinton, as "the former Chief of Staff at the New York Times", before the New York Press Club in 1953. However, research reveals that Swinton (1829-1901), after moving to New York, wrote an occasional article for the New York Times and was hired on a regular basis in 1860 as head of the editorial staff. Afterward holding this position throughout the Civil War, he left the paper in 1870 and became active in the labor struggles of the day. He later served eight years in the same position on the New York Sun and later published a weekly labor sheet, John Swinton's Paper.


The remarks were apparently made by Swinton, then the preeminent New York journalist, probably one night in 1880. Swinton was the guest of honour at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by replying:


There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it.

There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone.


The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting an independent press?

We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes.

      गुरू ज्ञान      🌹
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
👉नाई से उधारी में दाढ़ी
👉या फिर सेकंड हैण्ड गाड़ी,
👉नॉन वेज होटल में वेजिटेरियन खाना,
👉बिना पानी देखे टॉयलेट में जाना,
   🙏कभी नहीं, कभी नहीं !!🙏
    👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
🌹      गुरू ज्ञान      🌹
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
👉चोरी के डर से पड़ोसी को सुलाना,
👉कम उम्र की महिला को आंटी बुलाना,
👉लंगर की पंक्ति में आखिर में बैठना,
👉और पत्नी से उसके मायके में ऐंठना,
   🙏कभी नहीं, कभी नहीं !!🙏
    👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

🌹      गुरू ज्ञान      🌹
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
👉बिना हाथ दिए गाड़ी मोड़ना,
👉सफ़र में सहयात्री के भरोसे अटैची छोड़ना,
👉चिपकू मेहमान को बढ़िया खाना खिलाना,
👉टीचर के बच्चे को ट्यूशन पढ़ाना,
    🙏कभी नहीं, कभी नहीं !!🙏
                                                                                                                                                                 
    👆👆👆👆👆👆👆
🌹      गुरू ज्ञान      🌹
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

👉साले की बुराई,
👉शक्की को दवाई,
👉प्रेमी कोे दोस्त से मिलाना,
👉पत्नी को असली इन्कम बताना,
👉नवजात कुत्ते के बच्चे को सहलाना,
👉पहलवान की बहन से इश्क लड़ाना,
     🙏कभी नहीं, कभी नहीं !!🙏
    👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

🌹      गुरू ज्ञान      🌹
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿                  
👉दो नंबर की कमाई रिश्तेदार के नाम रखना,
👉सुंदर जवान नौकरानी को काम पर रखना,
👉पत्नी से सुंदर प्रेमिका को बताना,
👉और पुलिस वाले को मकान में किराये पर रखना,
    🙏कभी नहीं कभी नहीं

👌Nice line🌻🌹🥀🌷🌾
*ढूंढना ही है तो परवाह करने*
*वालों को ढूंढ़िये ...*
*इस्तेमाल करने वाले तो ख़ुद ही*
*आपको ढूंढ लेंगे...
      🌞🙏 *सुप्रभात* 🙏🌞

काम ऐसे करो कि लोग आप को TV में देखें,
ना कि CCTV 😬 में ...☠️👽☠️

****************
Why wasn't Jesus born in Australia?

God couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.
*****************
Seeing a diwali Rocket, just realised
.
.
.
That if we have to reach greater heights in life, we have no choice but  to take the support of the bottle😊😉☺😍

***************

A Gujju bought a well from a Jew.

The next day while on his way to market he met the Jew who told him "brother I have sold the well to you but I have not sold the water,if you use the water you will have to pay for it"

The Gujju replied "in fact I was planning to come to your place and ask you to empty the water and if you don't do it than you will have to pay the rent for the water ."

Disclaimer : This is a collection of messages and posts from twitter , Whatsapp facebook and other social media sites. I neither endorse the views nor follow them necessarily.

Random thoughts

30.10.2017

Our old friend Jaggi is desperately trying to keep his media profile up , at a time when surprisingly his other mates Ravi and Ram are being discrete. Perhaps the other two have made enough of their pile and counting the silvers. That makes our Jaggi more eager to thrust himself at the forefront. 

So , he picks up a safe issue to poke his nose in . He tweets about the national anthem and obliquely , very cleverly counters the recent Supreme Court ruling on the subject. 

He is actually itching to be in the limelight and be a bigger power broker . And he is trying to exploit emotive issues like a seasoned politician. A case in point is the missed call campaign for “Rally for Rivers”. It is  not only a hoax but also an exercise in collecting relevant data of prospective supporters.

This self styled guru speaks English and wants to build his client base among the urban Indians. Contrary to what one may assume , this section of the populace is gullible enough. Many of the people in my circle of people are supportive of any campaign to save the natural ecosystem . They also believe that they are doing a great job for the nation and the environment by giving missed calls, thinking this will save rivers. 

These gullible urban people make great followers for him . The Rural north India is not the target of this self styled guru as it doesn’t speak English. Once the mobile numbers enter the data base, subsequent programs of the Foundation can target specific people by simply sending an sms. These people are the ones who will fall in line with comparitive ease as these people were simple enough to believe a missed call can save rivers. 

A specious argument is being preferred saying that a majority vote is required to impress the government.  Now, the government has itself invited proactive programs and ideas to save rivers. They are not resisting the idea. So where is the need to pressurise or prove majority. Can you see the obvious attempt to ride piggyback.

Secondly the campaign will at best get 3 crore missed call which is 2% of the population and nowhere near a mojority as propagated. If the intention was to impress the government, a simple memorandum with a workable plan after a country wide tour by our Jaggi would have been enough. But he wants to be a Jagga . And he knows that in a country which believes mythology as Science and blind rituals as religion , his suave urban appeal will stick on to many . After all , if a charlatan and sex offender like Gurmeet can build up a huge empire and naje people create mayhem on his arrest by court order , then this guy looks a soft rabbit in comparison . What lies beneath is altogether another matter.


29.10.2017

#Randomthoughts Kishore Kumar was h such a great playback singer himself , apart from being an amazing actor too.  In fact , he could change or modulate his voice to suit the different heroes he did playback for. The best examples are Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna and even Rishi Kapoor. So it will come as a surprise to many of us that there are indeed a few songs picturised on him that are sung by other singers.  


I was just listening to one of them - Muchhe Jaaoa Dinguli ... from the Bengali film Lukochuri  , which has been sung by Hemanta Mukherjee. The song is played in the background and he is not  shown lipping it. 


On making a Google search I found a very good article published in the newspaper The Hindu last year on some songs that others sang playback  for Kishore Kumar , the actor.Quite interesting to go through. 

The link is given below.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/When-Kishore-da-had-others-sing-for-him/article14553177.ece


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Yesterday England won the final match of the U-17 football WC against Spain in a most dramatic fashion. The 5-2 scoreline of their win will remain a statistical point in future which will reflect that the match was a delight for the spectators as goals flowed freely. But what will perhaps never be properly appreciated later, after many days , is the fact that Spain was up by 2-0 and the comeback by the England and the overwhelming manner by which they ran over their opponents . Spain suddenly seemed to lose their free flowing rhythm which helped them to reach the finals and made them the favourites to win the trophy. 


Congratulations to the English players for winning the championship. The AIFF should also be congratulated along with the central and state governments and various municipal corporations for the successful organisation of this football festival. And the FIFA deserves a big thank you from the Indians to allow a World Cup tournament being held in the country. 


The coverage of the tournament was not adequate , as befitting it's status and many were unaware and unconcerned about the matches. That reflects poorly on our failure to build (or rather destroy ) a proper sports culture as a nation. The collective national obsession with cricket and it's super commercialization may be the prime reason for this. Sports, by itself is not considered a way of life for Indians . Probably it was never so down the ages. 


Many of these junior players who represented different countries will be graduating to the senior team in a couple of years and some may even become superstar players in future. Perhaps we will see quite a few of them in the next FIFA world cup. 


And let us hope that some day India will take part in the Football World Cup proper, both junior and senior by its own ranking and not by virtue of being a host. But before that , it will not be a bad idea to aim for organising events like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics.


28.10.2017

We have returned back home from our week long trip . Well , it has been a mixed experience , to be frank . The fun and holiday spirit was definitely enjoyable but some things also fell short of expectation . Probably because the concept of holiday travel have now changed for people like us. 


To start with , Dehradun and Mussorie disappointed me , to some extent. As I have lived in the vicinity of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan and travelled these places, the comparison is overpowering . But even then I must say to me Dehradun looked like a big problem waiting to happen . The rampant constructions and exploitation of the land there is creating a terrible mess.  The number of vehicles plying and the indifferent garbage disposal system only adds up to its woes. But  then , the cantonment areas looked much better and the institutional campuses were well maintained, I must admit. And most people in the city have no idea or bother about the history associated with the landmarks or the town itself. At least I got that impression. That may also be my bad luck or lack of a good guide. 


Mussorie again is overhyped and seemed like a mini version of Shimla  and distant cousin of Darjeeling. The place is no doubt beautiful, romantic and still abounds with natural beauty , in spite of crass commercialization.  The best way to enjoy such places is to book room in  a resort type  hotel and walk around the place , soaking in its charm , trivia , tales and history. Unfortunately, we didn't follow that style. So again , I should not hold anybody responsible. 


Rishikesh was an excellent place to visit and I regret that I did not stay here . Like Mussorie , one needs to stay here for some time. The place is popular with foreigners and there are a lot of different activities thst can be indulged into. Foremost among them is spiritual pursuits and Yoga. But a word of caution may be well in place - the total commercialization of Yoga is very evident here and perhaps a lot of charlatans are making their pile here. So it is necessary to have a reference from a trusted and experienced person. The same goes for various spas and ayurvedic treatment centres. 


Haridwar fully satisfied my urge to connect with the India that is Bharat.  People like me have discounted this India from our lives by compulsion, accident, design or vicissitudes of life, however we define the excuse. So sometimes it is necessary to reconnect and feel the difference both ways ; what we are really missing and what we are privileged not to bother about. For me , it was a great experience . Actually all such trips are. 


Overall , in spite of mixed feelings , we were both fit and fine and did not have to face too much troubles . The foods suited our palate and stomach . The weather was great to roam about without woollens and yet no sweat. So there goes another trip into the albums of memory . 


27.10.2017


The last day of our trip was spent lazing around Haridwar. Shops and ghats. The weather was chilly in the morning with a light breeze making it  seem like maximum winter by Mumbai standards. So it was quite enjoyable to bask under the sun and watching people bathe at different ghats from a vantage point . 


So me and wife spent the time watching people in various state of undress, rather overdressed in some cases, having their dip in the river Ganga , washing away their sins. We could not but help appreciating the deft and quick way of changing dress by the women , particularly. Had I been alone , it would be termed as ogling but with a wife supportive of my idiosyncrasies of watching human behaviour , it was quite revealing , I say. 


But frankly speaking , I was really appalled to see the littering of the river with everything possible . People were throwing flowers, leaves, dresses, hair, milk, sweets , coins and even currency notes in the river. Without meaning any hurt to religious sentiments , I must say with a heavy heart and conscience 1that it will be a long time for Indians to appreciate the environment and ecology issues because of the culture that encourages pollution by religious rituals .


We also visited the seven storeyed Bharat Mata mandir , just on an exploratory spirit. Two things struck ironic and funny to me . So sharing them with pics. Now this temple has seven storeys each depicting a theme . On the third floor were the clay models/idols of various famous women of India. On one panel, we found Annie Besant and Sister Nivedita. Their deification was complete with people offering coins and notes as "Chadavaa" . I could only wonder about their cooption into the pantheon of saints . 


Similarly , the second floor has the collection of  Indian brave hearts and right there , in a panel resides , Netaji, Hedgewar and Gandhiji , side by side. Perhaps the only place. See the pic below. 


26.10.2017

The ghats of Haridwar are filled with crowds . Probably the occasion of Chhath festival have increased the crowds or maybe it's always like this. I am visiting Haridwar after 34 years so the change in the town is visible. But some things like the ghats have not changed . The same shops, dharmshala, temples, sadhus, cheats, beggars still throng the ghats along with numerous devotees . We reached here by late afternoon and had a review of the ghats and the markets  till  a few minutes back. 

Some things we did meanwhile were a lot of walking ,  eating  kachori  and rabri , buying woolen garment (don't ask me why) and even ride a cycle rickshaw (after many days with my wife).


Tomorrow , we will roam around this town properly . We are not too much religiously inclined so our trip is more devoted to watching people and tasting different foods of the place we visit. Haridwar is a most interesting place to study north India , if you can negotiate the crowd, dust , cows and their droppings. And by the way , the place seems to be a favourite destination for Bengalis. They are everywhere and many signboards are in this language too. 

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22.10.2017

Had a somewhat new experience yesterday which highlighted the great changes that have taken place in our lives over the last few decades. Reaching Delhi,  we proceeded to our hotel Ginger, Rail Yatri Niwas , previously booked. I had chosen this hotel primarily because of its vicinity to the station as we had to board a train next day, quite early in the morning. 


We reached the hotel around 8.30 p.m. At the reception, I produced my reservation slip and was asked to produce an identification card. I submitted my Aadhar card. But to my surprise the reception clerk wanted some I-card for my wife too. This had never happened before . 


Calling out my wife , seated on a sofa , across the hall , I joked - "give me your I-card , perhaps they don't think you're my wife."  My wife came up to the counter and passed on her ITax Card to the receptionist. What happened next  is the reason for writing this post. 


The receptionist refused to acknowledge the IT card as proof of identity as it did not carry any address .  My wife did not carry her aadhar card , driving license , bank passbook or passport as suggested by him. Moreover , she got annoyed and raised her voice. I could see that her feminist tendencies raising the hackles. Moreover , since the last few years , she thinks that being a lawyer's mother she can tackle any rules and regulations in her stride and take legal action on anybody who comes across her way . But the receptionist remained adamant and I must say he retained his cool and remained polite , a novelty considering it was Delhi and a Rail service. 


I am myself a short tempered person but realised that the matter was not heading anywhere with the stonewalling by the receptionist taking refuge behind some rules which we were perhaps not aware. And you can't really do anything against a polite official ( a lesson learnt).  It was already getting late and we wanted to snatch a couple of hours for a short Delhi tour. So I asked the guy if some scanned copy would do . He agreed to this idea as a concession.  


Next job was to contact our son at home , get him open his mother's cupboard , rumage through her bag get her passport out , take photos and send it to me , via Whatsapp message. All this took five minutes or so . And we were handed over the room keys in another five minutes, me relieved but my wife furious. 


Later , we joked about the whole thing and wondered what the world was coming to. Two adults , well past their prime can't live together in a hotel room without showing proof of their residence. Moreover , we are not sure what will happen if at some places they refuse to accept the scanned copies and demand that the original be produced. What do we do then , live on the footpath ? 


But some lessons were well learnt from the episode.


1. Aadhar card is omnipotent . Now  our whole lives have been taken over by it.


2. Life has really changed over the last few decades. Nobody asked me anything when I took my young wife to hotels earlier but now don't want to allow my old wife with me unless she proves it . 


3. Technology has really eased matters a lot and solutions can be had of problems quickly.


4. It is better to carry a scanned copy of identity card on the smart phone . But what happens if it falls into the hands of others is a concern.

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19.10.2017

My Deepavali wish for all - May the people of my country be illuminated by the light  of knowledge that empowers us to see through the smoke screen of propaganda and the sound of fake news . The demons be destroyed along with the evil they spread.

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I am now convinced fully about the lae of averages. See how ten years of having a PM who hardly spoke has been over compensated in three years by a PM who can only speak, speak , speak and do nothing else. 

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Extremely saddened and frustrated to see on TV a fire raging at the Jeevansudha building, Kolkata. This building houses the erstwhile Foreign Department , now GMU of SBI .  I have so many happy memories of working there . Hope the damage is contained and the fire is brought down at the earliest.

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My Deepavali wish for all - May the people of my country be illuminated by the light  of knowledge that empowers us to see through the smoke screen of propaganda and the sound of fake news . The demons be destroyed along with the evil they spread.

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18.10.2017

TINA and MINA

Some people who come with the oft repeated counterpoint of – “Then who do you think should be the leader?” wants us to believe that only a single person is responsible as well as capable to lead  our country. This sort of arguments actually brings out the closet supporters of dictatorship, who try to layer their obnoxious ideology with a coating of Majoritarian model of democracy. The thing which is conveniently forgotten is that democracy is not only a rule by majority but by the people where the minority, the marginalized and the individual too have their say without feeling that their interests are being hampered in doing so.

 Concentration of more or less unchecked power over 1.25bn people in the hands of one man cannot be a comfortable feeling. Some may coin new terms like “new normal” and apply it to whatever is happening around. But the fact remains that it is not only normal in a democracy; it is dangerous. No single person should be vested with so much power. One-man rule is ultimately a recipe for intrigue, instability and breakdown of institutions. It also results in arbitrary decisions like demonetisation being taken, without a proper analysis or preparation. 

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Woke up to an unusual foggy (or should I  smoggy) morning. It is happening since the last few days, but today the visibility was very bad . At 6.30 in the morning, as I was on my morning walk,  I could not see anything beyond 250 metres. Why this is happening can be probably explained by experts . I have my own theory ; this smog may be a result of the recent incident of fire on the Butcher island. The difference between the day (hot) and early morning (cold) is causing the suspended particles to form a dense fog .

Don't know how the situation will be for the next few days with firecrackers adding to the woes. Hopefully a short spell of rain or gusts of wind will improve the situation.
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A marked departure that I notice this Diwali is the sudden reduction , almost to the point of absence , of those pseudo-nationalist messages exhorting us to boycott Chinese goods. What an irritant they have been, I say. And to get such messages from those whom you love, adore or respect was more frustrating.
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Think about this -

First you give your children the most sohphisticated mobile phone with internet and then call the police to save your kids from the blue whale.

And don't be under the false impression that all these things happen to others. We are not like that is just a false belief that you hold.

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I always believed that the term Bong-Bhakts was an oxymoron. 

But now I realise that there are many Bongs who are simply morons.  


Wednesday 11 October 2017

Synthetic states.

The world remains the same , its geography remains the same but the political map undergoes changes regularly .  If someone compares a hundred year old map of the world ,with the the present one , we will be surprised to note the changes . Even a fifty year old map will show the difference vividly.  Countries are regularly formed  by mergers, integration, conflicts and dissension. Right now we are witnessing the process of Catalonia trying to break free of Spain . Similarly  we also see the decimation of the self styled and short lived  Islamic state of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) .

Often federation of countries, states or nations are formed under a common flag . Sometimes they hold together , sometimes they don't . USSR and Yugoslavia are prime examples of federation countries imploding away ;  many young people don't even know about them. USA  is a shining example of a federation that has held and maybe India too ; though many staunch nationalists will be up in arms against any attempt to term India as a federation, which it actually is .

Apart from the amalgamation and dissolution process by which countries are formed there has been some examples when a country has been formed arbitrarily in a synthetic manner.  By synthetic , I mean a country that was never in existence before as a political, geographical, historical or a linguistic entity.  It does not consider entities like erstwhile Yugoslavia or present day Malaysia, Indonesia etc.  which were formed by union of different states.

The Republic of Liberia  (1847) is perhaps the first synthetic country formed in the modern world . It was  formed by settlers from USA , who were freed black slaves of America or black people born free there. Thus, there was a distinct racial bias in the formation of this country. Later , this formula was tried to create the two most famous example of synthetic states , which were perhaps the biggest blunders (or mischief) by the receding colonial rulers . In 1947 , Pakistan and in 1948 , Israel  were formed on the basis of religion . The formation of both the countries witnessed mass scale migration of two types never seen before.

Jews from all over the world left their countries of abode to congregate and build the new country of Israel. The birth of Pakistan saw the biggest transfer of population in the history of mankind accompanied with brutal rioting . Pakistan was a more complex idea because it comprised of  two landmasses  separated by about 2000 km. Later , East Pakistan became another country -Bangladesh , in 1971,  on the back of an uprising that had linguistic considerations at its core.

Liberia has survived , only to be ravaged by mis-governance and  bouts of army rule , so typical of African countries. Israel has proved to be a success story as a nation that has held itself against multiple hostile neighbors , wars and constant threat . But its very existence  is always beset with problems and a source of continuous instability in the neighborhood. Pakistan has traveled a tortuous path  alternating between democracy and military rule and beset with myriad problems of which terrorism is the primary one. Though denigrated by many as a failed state , it still has the potential and basic foundation to be a modern state only if it stops its obsession to be one up on its neighbor India and sectarian politics of hate.

Thankfully , not many experiments of synthetic states have been tried further . Because , in the absence of very strong  bonds of  common heritage, religion or language , it is very difficult to build a nation and survive long.

Vignettes

A small bag of peanuts in my hand
and a floppy hat on my head,
I watch life move by,
sitting alone on this bench by the park.
People pass me walking
or in their scooters and cars
but nobody stops for a moment,
even to look at me; they are all busy.
They do not have time to waste like me,
under a glorious sun with a cool breeze playing.
I watch their serious faces,
lined with deep concerns and feel
the palpable tension that has them in its grip.
Munching my peanuts, I think,
if only for once, some one
among these passersby stop to smile at me
and sit by my side, speak to me,
or just asks me – How do you do?
How lovely it would be, for the person
and also to me, to talk about the morning,
share the peanuts and may be also walk up
to the nearby tea stall  to sip tea
under this glorious sun with a cool breeze playing.

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Waiting for another stampede.

Waiting for another stampede

Today as I was coming back home in the evening , it was raining . The crowd and the jostling at the entrance of the Currey Road station reminded me of the Elphinstone stampede. What happened on the fateful morning of 29th September 2017 at Elphinstone station could have happened at other stations too. I was myself at the next station Currey Road during the time of the tragedy which killed 22 lives in a stampede. And I can visualise and fully understand how things went wrong at Elphinstone as I had regularly used the footbridge at the adjoinining Parel station. That makes me write about a greater danger lurking and another tragedy waiting to happen, any day, at the Currey Road station.

Currey Road Railway Station is a suburban station in Mumbai which lies on the Central Line, i.e. the Central Railways. It was named after C. Currey, who was the Agent of the BB&CI Railway from 1865 to 1875.This station is said to have been built originally to carry horses during the derby season from stud farms in Pune, in the British era, because of its proximity to the Mahalaxmi race course.   The prominent areas served by this station on the west is Lower Parel and on the east, Lal Baugh.  The two other stations which are next to it are Parel on the North, towards Thane and Chinchpokli on the south, towards CSTM.

Once upon a time, the area around Parel or for that matter between Dadar to Byculla was the hub of trading and industrial activity in Mumbai, particularly by the textile mills. As a corollary, the area around Lower Parel was also dotted with labour barracks, commonly known as Chawls.   All these mills are now closed and the properties owned by many well known industry houses have come up for redevelopment, a euphemism for construction of multi-storeyed buildings on prime property. Many of the chawls are also being redeveloped. It’s a huge creamy cake set up to gobble and the involvement of politicians, builders, goons, financiers and sundry middlemen can only be left to imagination. The whole area is a study in contrast with tall glass panelled structures standing like islands in a sea of old buildings and a heavily congested area. And the construction activity continues.

As the middle class and the working class people of Mumbai increases every year, the city has expanded mainly towards the north and east (Navi Mumbai) because the south and west are bound by the sea. The main commercial centre of the city which was at the southern part, around Fort and Nariman point started getting too far off for the daily commuters. As a result, the business district and commercial centres stared relocating to the Bandra Kurla Complex. But the BKC was not enough to accommodate all the offices. And along with that the Parel area, with its obvious connectivity and available space was tempting for the real estate lobby.  Within the last two decades huge multi-storeyed buildings housing residential and office complexes have come up in this area, mostly on the properties, once synonymous with textile mills.

The area is well connected, in a way, by roads and also by railways. Both the Western and the Central lines pass through this area and the Harbour branch line is also within two kms. The stations of Lower Parel and Elphinstone Road on the western line also serve the daily commuters along with the other two already mentioned on the Central line. The Elphinstone Road (WR) and Parel (CR) are actually adjacent and connected by a foot over bridge and the distance between Lower Parel (WR) and Currey Road (CR) is less than 250 metres. It is expected that the monorail will also be operational soon, connecting the eastern part of the city to this place. The construction is almost complete and trial runs have also been made. In fact the monorail system will also have two stations in the close vicinity of Currey Road Station.

The passenger footfall at these stations has increased exponentially like the income of the sons of politicians as the number of daily commuters too increased in a viral manner. When these stations were built perhaps nobody gave a thought about the rush of daily commuters that would besiege the stations during the office hours, both incoming and outgoing.  And when the area was being developed, nobody bothered to examine if the existing infrastructure would stand up to the crowd that would ensue. As a result, the stations don’t have proper crowd dispersal facilities and in case of any small disruption, natural or mechanical, there is immediately a build up of chaos due to congestion of traffic and crowds on the streets and the platforms.

Let us focus on Currey Road station. Only slow suburban local trains stop here. The station comprises of a single platform, on both sides of which the trains stop, to and fro. Unlike other stations, it does not have the provision of another spare platform for the adjoining tracks for fast local trains which could stop here, in case of emergency. The cause of grave concern is the way how the crowd dispersal system is designed here. The station itself is built upon stilts of steel and not more spacious than one of the luxurious flats in one of the many high-rise buildings around it. The entry to the station opens on a narrow 3 feet wide footpath on the Currey Road Bridge which is a part of Currey Road itself, now named as Mahadev Palav Marg. It connects the main arterial Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road on the east to the N M Joshi Marg an important branch road to another arterial road Senapati Bapat Marg on the west.

The platform is at a lower level under the Currey Road Bridge and there is a single inclined ramp about eight feet wide which is the only way to enter and exit from the platform. During the rush hours, hundreds of commuters disembark from the trains, to and fro and have to jostle their way out of or into the platform. The flow of the crowd gets aggregated at the landing space of the station which, in size is less than a drawing room hall in a normal flat. The two ticket counters also open on this space and the people lined up there add up to the crowd and the jostling.  It does not need too much imagination to visualise the chaos which does not end there itself.

The thronging crowd of commuters have to pass the narrow footpath which is barricaded by a strong steel boundary wall  about four feet high to avoid the crowd spilling over on the bridge and the road used by numerous vehicles including motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks. So getting out or entering the station during the rush hours means a brief round of jostling and pushing through a small narrow stretch for about a minute. It should not be a matter of concern for a fit person on a normal day. And the experience is gender neutral; females are also subjected to the same treatment.  But from personal experience, I can say that it can be very irritating and on days when someone is having a weakness or fever it feels harrowing. Now consider the plight of the old, infirm, disabled and pregnant who have to use the station for their daily commute. Further this does not take into account the crowded station or the efforts to catch a train brimming with commuters.

What happened on the fateful morning of 29th September 2017 at Elphinstone station could have happened at Currey Road station too. The morning was bright and sunny to begin with and when I left home around 8.30 a.m. Though there was a weather alert, I did not carry an umbrella because the rainy season had receded and I didn’t want to be burdened with one. Later, I found that almost everybody did so and this was a major reason for the tragedy. May sound strange but that’s a fact.

The residences of people living in Mumbai are broadly categorised according to the suburban railway lines near their homes – Western line, Central line and Harbour line. Nowadays, something called the Trans-harbour line has also come up. So, I live on the Harbour line and my office is adjacent to Currey Road station, on the Central Line.

By the time I got down at Kurla station to change from the Harbour line to the Central line train, the weather had suddenly changed and dark clouds were threatening heavy rains. Even as I boarded my train, it started pouring heavily. As I reached Currey Road station, I was surprised to find the platform filled with people. For a moment, I wondered but then I realised that it was raining heavily and almost nobody carried an umbrella. They were waiting for the rain to subside. But the rain seemed to be incessant and it was pouring mad. People somehow managed to stand on the platform and with passing time the crowd was swelling in number as trains from both sides brought in fresh commuters at the rush hour, all eager and raring to avoid being marked late for attendance.

I had already decided to wait for the rain to stop and saw some of my colleagues also on the platform, stuck up like the hundreds of other people. Everybody was cursing themselves for not bringing an umbrella but the rain was so much copious that it would be of no use. The only way of exit, the inclined ramp was totally filled with people as was the small station floor. People were neither going out to avoid getting drenched in the rain nor allowing others to go out. Even those who were coming in drenched from outside were blocked from doing so.  All in all, it was maddening.

Perhaps, this was the time when the stampede happened at Elphinstone, just two kms away. Why it didn’t happen at Currey road was simply because of the flat surface of the ramp inclined upwards instead of a stairs going down wards. Pushing people up didn’t generate the momentum for a collapse somewhere. Had it been a staircase, I am sure such tragedy would happen at Currey Road station too. And it can happen any day, not necessarily in the rains. During festivals like Ganapati, the chances of a stampede here is very much real.

I have often pointed to this potential of stampede at Currey Road station and Parel station to many and some of them contacted me after the accident and told me – “You said this could happen”. I am not the least happy to have predicted such a tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of those who died. Why I write this is primarily to narrate the reasons leading to the tragedy and the foreboding that it can happen again, anywhere. But is anybody listening?

P.S: I find that the authorities have now posted police with portable loudspeakers managing and directing the crowd at the entrance . But it is useless in the face of a flash mob situation . Hundreds of people trying to enter a narrow gully in the rains . Try to visualise the situation, you will understand.