Maladies which India suffers from: can we stop looking at our problems and concentrate on the solutions rather?

More than 80% of the Indian population comes under the middle-class category and the middle-class people have their own set of woes. They are under the impression that our country is ill and sick. The topic sounds bad, I know, but are we better than what our forefathers were in their yester years. Our incomes have increased and so have the prices. The employment opportunities have increased and so has the rate of unemployed population. We scream and screech but no one hears us. And no doubt, we ourselves are responsible for the chaos around us. We give our opinions about the corrupt ministers we have but do not exercise our vote in choosing the right kind of leader. We complain that only thieves, criminals, and tricksters stand for the elections but we ourselves do not wish to participate in the political system or the election process. We complain about issues but do nothing to resolve them. The definition of democracy seems so vague in the minds of the people that lot many people would not even care to give a second thought about it. We were taught in our childhood that India is a democratic country by definition and that how it was constituted and is governed till date. But true to the sense, least know, including me, the proper impression of democracy. Democracy is in a proper sense, a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. But is that so in our country? Do we have a firm determination to determine and dissolve the disputes that have arisen around us? Had we understood the true impact of our indolence and negligent attitude towards our country, we would have surely found that the solutions to the problems lie deep within us, inside us, and around us.

Let us talk about the issues at hand and the simple ways to resolve them:

Problem 1: Inefficacious politicians: We have the worst bunch of representatives in both the Parliament. Only people who have managed to do nothing in their lives and have been failures in each sphere of life consider politics as a last resort to earn and sustain themselves.

Resolution: We need to come to the fore and participate in the political system. We need not represent any political party. We just need to represent the society we belong to. Like-minded people can come together, form a political party, and contest elections. There are so many ways of letting voters known about their agenda for getting selected by the masses.

Problem 2: Corrupt people at the helm of affairs: We have criminals deciding about our country and making laws accordingly. Can the nation be left at the hands of felonious and villainous people?

Resolution: We do not vote; in fact we consider our voting day as another privileged holiday. So ministers are able to sway illiterate and ignorant people by giving them gifts and money and dividing the nation on communal and religious grounds. In the end, we end losing our brave policemen like Zia-ul-Haq and wriggle with pain under goons like Raja Bhaiya.

Problem 3: Unemployment: More than half the population is unemployed. Everyone wants a job like the other one irrespective of their abilities and the vacancies available. Not everyone can land with their kind of dream job, but are jobs in government or private sectors the only ways to earn money?

Resolution: What about skilled professions? Instead of spending lakhs to get a job, why not invest your time in learning a skill, which can earn you money and also does not leave you unemployed. Being employed does not necessarily mean sitting in a cubicle and working. It simply means a way to earn money with respect and confidence, and that can also be achieved by developing skills like drawing, cookery, beauty courses, hair cutting courses, designing, wedding planner, interior decoration, carpentry, electric wiring, repairing of electrical goods and electronic items, knitting and tailoring, basic computer skills, and others which readers of this blog may be aware of.

Problem 4: Pollution: We complain about the deteriorating condition of our environment, but are not we ourselves responsible for it? Depleting natural resources, thick smog around us, suffocating atmosphere, dropping oxygen levels, increase of carbon monoxide and other harmful gases into our ecosystem, toxic material found in water bodies, eroding quality of soil, lowering level of water table, fading away of farmlands and grasslands, extinction of various species of birds and animals, etc...Over dependence on fossilized fuels, inability to use substitutes for our fuels, inappropriate and unconditional mining, wastage of water, diversion of waste materials into our waters, emission of poisonous gases into our ecosystem, inefficient harvesting of rain water, lack of proper controls for emission by various industries and many other practices followed in our country have forced us to consider the consequences of the changing environment on our future and the unborn.

Resolution: We can definitely do our bit to bring about a change in he environment we are in. Cooking by electrical appliances, use of public transport, getting CNG cylinders fitted to our vehicles, use of substitutes in place of natural resources, less honking while driving, discard use of plastic bags, making our children aware about the causes and consequences of pollution are the least we can do to keep pollution at check, lest we are unable to bring it down.

Problem 5: Global warming: People consider it a fashion to talk about global warming without understanding the effects of it.

Resolution: To understand the effects, we first need to understand the causes of it and the main reasons which have led to global warming. Dealing with ideas and methods to prevent global warming is not fashionable; it is a necessity, which has to be understood as a basic essential for living.

Problem 6: Hunger: This is the worst form of sickness prevailing due to massive poverty. Increasing industrialization has led to more jobs surely, but only for a handful. Industrialization of the farmlands and agricultural fields added to the existing misery of people who were dependent on agriculture for their daily livelihood. The rest languish in poverty and survive by fulfilling only their basic needs or indulge in criminal activities. What starts as a necessity ends in a habit and then a sense of achievement by indulgence in nefarious activities.

Resolution: Equal educational and employment opportunities, grants to various government run and NGO run institutions, check on the working of these institutions, taxes being employed for infrastructure and beneficiary purposes, stress on skills instead of white-collared jobs and proper regulations by the Government, aids to farmers, proper information provided to farmers regarding farming and poultry can help in counteracting the existing crunch of poverty and the dilemmas of void among our very own people.

Problem 7: Water and electricity problem: Even though we have enough sources of water in our country, still a majority of the inhabitants of our country have to tackle the problem related to shortage of water and electricity supply.

Resolution: As usual, the resolution lies within the problem and the problem lies in the roots of our short-sightedness, tendency of wastage, and ineffective planning. Due to improper planning, most of the rainfall flows into drains making it suitably unfit for drinking purposes. Tendency of wastage is a born trait among us and we do not value the drops we are lucky to receive and utilize for our daily needs. Short-sightedness led to poor policies regarding water harvesting and hence only a minor percentage of rainfall manages to get stored. Also, too much reliance on our water bodies has dried them and depleted the water table. A bit of interest from our side can do a lot. Water harvesting is not costly and its methods are not difficult to be adopted, drainage systems can be improved upon with a proper plan in place, and inclination of dissipation can be curbed.

Problem 8: Farmer suicides: Thousands of farmers, under the burden of debt and failure of crops, are committing suicides every year. We read about them in our newspapers, hear about them on our television sets, but do nothing to find a substantial resolute to this grave issue.

Resolution: It is not that our Government has not attempted to solve our farmers' problems but there is much more that needs to be implemented. Also the corruption that has corroded the roots of our country needs to be eroded at the grass root level.

Problem 9: Prostitution: Prostitution has been the oldest and dirtiest form of profession adopted till date. The reasons for this are our societal tendency to exploit the weaker sex, inconsideration of the women's respect, feeling of power achieved by stripping the women of their modesty, sale or barter of women by men for money or liquor, betting of women in gambling, rape and molestation of women, and in the worst circumstances choice of this profession by women owing to hunger, poverty, and family pressure.

Resolution: Exploitation of women is an outcome of a negative mindset. The graph representing the number of atrocities committed on the female folk has steadily been rising. Inappropriate security, careless attitude of the police towards victims, inefficient nature of our government, lack of proper and severe rules in place, and dragging of cases in courts for long number of years have only added to the existing woes of the people.

Problem 10: Crimes against women: We are not averse to what is happening around us; we are just not bothered. Crimes against women include acid throwing, breast ironing, bride burning, honor killing, dating abuse, domestic violence, marital rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced abortion of female fetuses and many others that we daily read about in newspapers or watch in crime-based shows. The history of violence against women is tied to the history of women being viewed as property and a gender role assigned to be subservient to men. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) states that "violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.” People are afraid to come forward to lend a helping hand to the families of victims for fear of harassment by the police and pressure caused due to threats by the culprits. But as citizens of civilized society, can we allow this to continue for long? A free society should be guarded by logic and reason, instead power and repression have taken their places.

Resolution: Nothing would be more effective than changing the mindset of the upcoming generation. It is hard to change the existing characteristic mental attitude of our men, but we can definitely teach our children to respect and consider equal the women around them. We have looked enough for resolution against hate crime committed toward the women folk. Reserving coaches in trains meant only for women, having buses exclusively for women, and other techniques that virtually showed no effect or decrease in such crimes. The need of the hour is to educate the women around us about their rights, freedom, liberties, and the value they command in society. The need for the hour is to bring about changes in the existing law and order of our country, to have more women in our workforce, to instruct courts to provide judgment within a stipulated time period, to have strict laws in place, and nevertheless, to introduce corporal punishment to the accused of dowry killing and sexual violence. Corporal punishment, though, argued by some to be in the spirit of retribution but can our society do away by demeaning, women, the very backbone of the society. Can we allow our mothers, sisters, and neighbors to be harassed and victimized? Have we already failed in the making of a responsible nation?

The power of judgement

We frequently judge people at first glance or at the first instance of hearing some rumor about them. But, is that all to judge someone? Read the following and attempt to make out as to whether you are a good judge of human  nature


2 TOUGH QUESTIONS

Question 1:
If you knew a woman who was pregnant,
Who had 8 kids already,
Three who were deaf,
Two who were blind,
One mentally retarded,
And she had syphilis,
Would you recommend that she have an abortion?

Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.

Question 2:
It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts..
Here are the facts about the three candidates.

Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists.
He's had two mistresses.
He also chain smokes
And drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice,
Sleeps until noon,
Used opium in college
And drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate C:
He is a decorated war hero.
He's a vegetarian,
Doesn't smoke,
Drinks an occasional beer
And never committed adultery.

Which of these candidates would be our choice?

Decide first .. No peeking, and then scroll down for the response.

Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolph Hitler.

And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question:

If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven.

Pretty interesting isn't it?
Makes a person think before judging someone!

What happens when greed takes over relationships?

The ghastly event in which two kids got killed and their bodies defaced beyond recognition forces us to reconsider whether we are safe in our capital. The human mind is capable of anything, but to be capable of such a beastly act requires a terrible and cruel mentality darkened by greed and blinded by quick money earning schemes. The incident nonetheless forces us to consider the importance of relationships and their impact on us. Where greed and lust have become an important part of the city’s character, we are forced to consider various safety measures in our daily lives for our very own survival. Where the rising graph of crimes is already a reason for a feeling of annoyance and vexation among us, it cannot be denied that we are no safer even in our homes. Intense and selfish desire for something, craving, and intense animosity have darkened the city’s sense of living and created a feeling a hostility among us leaving us with no clue of what should be done to restore the city’s peace.  

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Moms-cousin-killed-kids-when-they-cried-for-food/articleshow/18786182.cms

  

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/uncle-held-for-minor-siblings-murder/article4473654.ece

Non-compliance of rules, intention to earn bribes, and tendency of malfunctioning in government offices can lead to intense frustration among the general public

The most glaring examples of asking bribes openly and non-compliance of rules can be seen in many government offices, the most common being public work departments, branch development offices, post offices, and others who harass the public endlessly by listing them rules that do not exist and asking for favors in form of cash or kind. The kind of incident portrayed in the news (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/harassed-farmer-jumps-off-building-dies/article4467939.ece) gives a mere glimpse of intense annoyance caused by being tormented by persons holding public office or having official duties. The vexation finally gave way to the common man resorting to taking the ultimate and utmost step of deciding to end his life.

As a common man, I do not expect the Government to learn anything from this incident; they would not even care. For them, it is just another case of death. But has not the time come to change the society around us? Instead of succumbing to the conditions surrounding us, would not it be better to stand up united for our rights. If not for us, who have arms and feet to slog, why do not do it for the generation that precedes us and looks upon us for a change or for the generation to come who would look upon us as examples and role models to follow?

We do not need to allow these occurrences to be repeated again and again to gain our consciousness. The thing we can do is to wake up from the deep slumber we had put ourselves into and see if we can do anything different. There is no shame in tears, and we have cried enough. Now, we need to see clearly what lies ahead of us and the most we can make of it. Change is a way of life and transformation is necessary for survival. Conversion from being mere mute spectators to persons who dare to think differently rather than just follow the crowd is essential if we intend to live our lives as humans.

It does not take an expert to forecast India’s growth

This article is in stark contrast to the news that appeared in The Hindu about an expert expressing his views on India’s growth and the many reasons cited for our so-called decelerating economic growth. (http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/indias-growth-may-stagnate-says-expert/article4456948.ece). With our disoriented political system, gluttonous government, lack of zeal in making political reforms, the existing nexus between our political system with the industrial houses, shortage of adequate security, loopholes in our law and order system, the community biasness of our own people, the pessimistic attitude of the citizens towards development, and disinterest of people to participate in active politics, we surely have nothing to expect from the current scenario.  

The December rape case saw an increase in mass consciousness. It felt as if the conscience of the entire nation was shaken to the core and forced to lift itself to speak for itself. People poured out in large masses, everyone wanted to speak about the innumerable times they themselves have felt humiliated and harassed. Lips opened to argue about our ever degrading and disintegrating system, government did its best to divert the attention of the people, and people came out in the open to form peaceful protests. Time and again we see news of corruption, bribery, and depravity in our newspapers. We learn about dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. We learn about our political and administrative system being morally depraved or in a state of being so. All know in their minds that the country is not safe anymore and that the economy and administration both are on the verge of collapse. It does not take rocket science to realize where our land is going and so an expert’s comments about the stagnating growth should not come as a surprise to any of us.

Are the men listening?

Yet, another bill to counter the sexual harassment at workplace. This bill came in a bit too late, considering the fact that the perverted quality of Indian men with their traits of voyeurism proving to be a major source of misery for women was known but never openly discussed. Women, who wanted to make out for themselves in our so-called modern but sadist society witnessed and tolerated acts often involving infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. The word, ``harassment’’ is not something new, we all had and have to face it in some way or the other at some point in our lives. But, we were all deaf and mute to such acts till the worst cases of subjecting victims to horrific and disastrous conditions started pouring in. The negative part is that there has been no decline in such dreadful cases; the positive part is that these incidents saw people getting united to raise their voices. The frightful incidents involving such ghastly acts saw the young generation coming forward to shoulder responsibility in reforming the existing rules and pledging themselves to build for us a new and safe society. But despite this, there are questions that still remain unanswered. Are rules and bills enough to prevent the weaker gender being deprived of their rights to freedom and equality or are these rules enough to teach men the basic traits of respecting women as they would revere and regard their mothers and sisters? Holding the opposite gender in esteem needs to be taught in the family; no amount of punishment or no plethora of rules can substitute the moral upbringing provided by a sound family.

Hope the men are listening to the bell (aka bill) of justice!

Hope the women have learned to follow their hearts and fight back against injustice!

Naughty Nature !

It's a flower, its scientific name is "Psychotria Elata". It's colorful red flowers attracts many pollinators including butterflies and hummingbirds. So how many of you would give this flower & propose someone?

Nature has surely its own way of gifting us and setting a record using vibrant color characteristics and features second to none along with understated elegance and a refined quality of gracefulness. Deep inside jungles beyond the reach of crazy, materialistic, and ungrateful humans nature chose to give birth to this excessively wondrous creation and meticulous formation of petals that is indeed a masterpiece in this universe.

Hoarding – a common game played by traders and politicians

The political-industrial nexus is a known fact in our country and the effects viewed, reviewed, tolerated, and criticized by the common people. Hoarding, a standard business practice of piling goods and resources so that they can be sold later to customers for profit, started long back with the stocking of sugar by Sharad Pawar (sugar baron cum politician). It extended to many other commodities, onion now being the current favorite of traders. This whole practice of the traders involved in liaison with our gluttonous politicians and bureaucrats have only led to sky rocketing prices of the much-prized onion in North India. Where the prices of onions ranges from Rs. 10 to Rs. 13 a kilo during this season, the current price of onions ranges somewhere between Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 a kilo. The drive to earn more money and more power by our manipulative and overfed government has brought the common man to do away even with the most basic commodities needed by him to survive and fend for his family. Where Sharad Pawar has commented in his interview that the high prices of onions are due to the non-availability of railway wagons to transport the onions from Gujarat to the northern places in India, history forces us to think and rethink on the explanations and justifications provided by our decision-makers through the media. Sharad Pawar had mentioned in a conference of ministers, ``The current problem was because of the delay in transporting stocks from Nashik in Maharashtra. I have received a communication from Nashik and spoken to some traders. They complain that they are not getting railway wagons to transport onion to northern parts of the country.” He never mentioned the cause of unavailability of railway wagons. The factual cause of procrastination, though not discussed, is known by one and all. After all, we are Indians born with the virtue of tolerance, no matter how worse the situation may present itself to be but history has been witness to incidents where utmost tolerance has led to accumulation of vitriol in the minds of the people leading civil society and media to demand for accountability of the decisions taken and implemented by our ever-reluctant governments.