Aseem’s Blog
Leap over the bounds…
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Farmer ‘turns bullock’ for survival |
While you were enjoying and celebrating this festive season… the ganesh chaturthi… expressing jubilation over the high decibel sound of bursting of fire crackers and bomb explosions… in some remote village, there was some poor farmer forced to act as a bullock to plough his fields. And even after your festive celebrations are over and you are back to your routine life (still enjoying with kitty parties, office parties, partying at CCD… or basically trying to find any and every dumb reason to party) the difference is that, this farmer as many others, still continues to plough…!!!
And may be one day, one of them might even commit a suicide and you will prefer to turn over the newspaper page that describes this plight of the farmers… Just because you don’t want to spoil your mood early in the morning. But the truth is that, for any other time, you would do nothing different… giving yourself some other stupid reason to escape the news item.
Yes, it does happen… the city man of India conveniently skips from seeing the dark and gloomy face of India… the India that’s still struggling to only make a living. And for those who do care, may be just like you and me… won’t take any step forward than to write a small blog post, and forget about it the very next day. Probably only blaming the Indian government, cursing corruption, nature and all those myriad reasons that one could find to elude his/her responsibility. And if we all do manage to run off scot free, we hate to accept that we are fooling none other than our own selves.
For the last couple of days if you were not watching only a MTV, SONY or a STAR and managed to switch your TV to any news channel… CNN-IBN has been repeatedly airing this story… Farmer ‘turns bullock’ for survival.
CNN-IBN covers -
It’s festival season in Maharashtra, but celebrations are not for all, especially farmers in Vidarbha.
Heavy downpour and flooding after years of continuous drought in the region have played havoc in the life of poverty-ridden farmers, and one of them even has to act as a bullock to plough his fields for survival.
Shankar Dabe Rao, a cotton farmer in Maharshtra’s Buldhana District has been forced to fill-in for one of his bullocks, which was washed away in the recent floods.
The waters took with it not just the bull, which was bought with borrowed money, but also Shankar’s crops, his only means of re-paying the loan.
And to break this cycle of ever increasing debt, Shankar says, he had no choice but to take the place of his bull and ask his 72-year-old father to help him plough the field.
“I am waiting for the government’s rehabilitation package. My financial situation is so bad that I have even thought of committing suicide,” said Shankar Dabe Rao, the cotton farmer.
The news reveals that over 150 farmers have committed suicide in this region in the month after the Prime Minister’s visit… yet there are no major signs of relief… That even after realisation could prove to be just too little and too late!
A few months back, I was watching a similar coverage… NDTV showing teens partying at CCD, and all of them unresponsive and indurate towards the situation of the farmers… just about a 40kms away from the place they were partying at. I sometimes wonder, whether our youth is really so dumb that they are unaware of the dingy fabric of the poor India? Or are they just too smart to overlook it all for their own merry reasons!
We still remain unaware of the ground realities, the deplorable facts of the bare India… still enjoying our party mood… skipping and escaping articles like these… wearing the same cotton clothes these farmers have contributed to, yet dismissing them even of a miniscule consideration in our daily lives… how much more callous and insensitive can we get??!!!
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Ganpati Bappa Morya |
Festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali have always got Indians closer. Whether in times of the struggle for India’s Independence or today after the 7/11 Mumabi bomb blasts. India irrespective of religion, caste and region has shared a unified thought and realisation of joy.
It’s for these festivals that India today stands united proposing its belief in god and in the people of India.
I thought I should share this above picture with my blog readers here. This one that drew all my attention off the other news items on the front page of today’s Sunday Times, shows a Ganesh pandal being setup in Ahmedabad based on the theme of 7/11 Mumbai train blasts.
India I am proud of you… Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!!!
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And my India simply watched them die… |
Just imagine yourself into this…
You take your family out on a drive to enjoy the nature in this beautiful rainy season or to a local temple to pray to god for the well-being of your family and India. On the way, while crossing a bridge, the water level suddenly rises and your new Tata Indica is soon submerged under water. You with your family climb atop the car and cry for help. People gather around the river banks watching your plight. You see the forest minister of the state standing across the river, you feel relieved. You know that someone will save you now. But after being strangled for 8 hrs… amidst the river, you are swept away by the vigorously flowing waters… and India just watches you…die…
If you feel that this story is just for imagination, sorry to say, this is what happened to a family in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, a couple of days back. Five members of the family drowned while the insensitive crowd simply saw them struggle for life.
You can get more details here: http://in.news.yahoo.com/060822/211/66vhb.html
While this situation stranded the family struggling for life for eight hours… I wonder where the media was all that while. Is it the same media that took the whole nation into the pit for more than 24 hrs when ‘Master Prince’ had accidentally made his way down in it? Where did the media go… the same media that has become more of an entertainment medium. Who prefer to show the IPS officer dancing as Radha, the married UP woman who announces herself as wife of Wasim Akram. Where did this media go which relayed even the pettiest and nonsense issues and yet missed this one? I bet they should have got this incident live… and see the resentment towards the government amongst the citizens of India.
While the whole issue in not of the media not showing this incident live, but the government not taking appropriate measures to save the lives of those dead now. It’s such a disgrace to know, that after having a third of a day nothing much was done to rescue the lives of the family stranded amidst the waters. What a sorry comparison to the heroic efforts taken by so many army and police men to save ‘Prince’. And here to save the life of five… just two policemen! I want to ask the Rajasthan government, rather India… where was the rescue team? Where were the helicopters, the choppers?
The money of the tax payers, is only squandered and splurged by ministers over luxury and joy rides in their helicopters. They could have easily air-lifted the marooned family. It’s a shame to see my India play the part of a mute spectator and now live with its self enforced psychological emasculation.
I have just one question to raise… If the same forest minister who was callously watching this incident, was amidst the waters instead of the family… would my India still simply watch him die?
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REVIVING PATRIOTISM IN INDIA |
Let’s have a small retrospective session. Ok I won’t stress your memory. Let’s talk about just a day back in time. So what did you really do on India’s 59th Independence Day? Sat at home all day enjoying your holiday? Ok… made it for the function for the flag hoisting? Is it enough? Neways, even if you did that, I am glad. But I can bet most of you just, looked up to the flag in great pride may be for a few moments and then you were back onto your couch watching some latest pirated cd/dvd movie and enjoying the holiday. Your feelings need to extend from those few moments you looked up to the flag to your entire day, from this one day in the year to the entire year, and yes certainly for your lifetime. And remember you are not the first one to do this… Martyrs have lived, died and relived in our hearts being as true Indians. Just an Indian citizenship doesn’t really make you an Indian dear!
The very fact that you are reading these lines now, is that I have got you interested. Those who weren’t have left long behind. Well yesterday I just managed to write a few lines on reviving patriotism in India. I hope that it can motivate you enough to put these thoughts into your actions…
Here is goes –
India the land of the martyrs who have embraced the gallows for their ideals, where every drop in the freedom fighter’s blood has fought not for itself but for the nation, has today become indigent instead of indigenous of ‘patriotism’. Yes I am talking of India where patriotism needs to be revived and redefined.
We all probably remember patriotism when there is an Indo-Pak cricket match and when terrorists bomb our trains. But we definitely forget it when we cast our vote in the elections, when a week long hungry beggar asks for a rupee, when we shamelessly throw garbage on the roads and yet so many times more… Patriotism is observed as nothing else than the ‘pain on the prick of a pin’. It is rather believed to be a formality, a formality of saluting the national flag and 52 seconds of freezed stature during the national anthem. May be even a freezed heart with no gratitude for the martyrs because of whom we are living off so well.
The serenity and peace of the country is often challenged more by internal perturbances than by external aggression. The diversity in the cultures of its subjects unfortunately is the prominent cause for animosity between religious antagonists in India. There is so much difference that a common man belonging to one religion finds in another man of other religion though being the very same, an INDIAN. India has subjects following a number of religions which have their own organizations to spread the greatness of their religion that they have realized. Such organizations are very important in making a prosperous and patriotic India. As their aim is to pay heed to the needs of their followers. In this way every Indian will be benefited in some or the other way. It should be also important for these organizations to publicise patriotism as they find themselves amongst the biggest organizations in India. But sadly it never happens so. Religious antagonism apart, we still distance ourselves with each other with castism. While celebrating the 59th Independence day, India wants to forget castes and the differences caused by them. But probably the politicians do not want it to happen. Reservation for lower castes is one issue, where politicians have made every effort to pursue their own filthy political interests rather than trying to solve the issue.
What we cannot envisage is the communal disharmony and religious discrimination that infiltrates into the society defying all norms of humanity. This results to communal riots stupendously engineered by the so called religious patrons – the politicians. But one cannot blame the whole breed, as there exists a minority that puts in efforts to make a more socially stable India. While the majority tries to draw mileage from every loop hole in the society and engages itself in building heavens of comfort and luxury, constructed on the debris of human sanctity. For every soldier who sacrifices his life for the nation they echo only four words, “WE will fight back”. But in that ‘WE’ they are nowhere!
The common man of India is deemed to be a puppet in the hands of the politicians, but in reality he finds his own profit in every act provoked by them. And what gets lost in this ‘unethical symbiosis’ is again patriotism! While talking of India, one major class of people can be seldomely forgotten. It is the economically and thus as a result socially impotent and backward class. It is rightly said – An empty stomach cannot blow the seditious sound of the war bugle. Thus one cannot expect them to play an important role in reforming patriotism. This situation should be unraveled in course of time and not suddenly. What cannot be conquered should be endured. Patriotic emotions cannot be engendered in a windfall, they will have to be engraved on tender hearts that will remain placid in the storms of the enigmatic future. Our education policies thus need to be revalued and reformed. More national awareness and respect should be embedded into the scholastic curriculum. The paraphernalia could be nothing more than a sincere devotion for making a patriotic India.
Now let us consider what patriotism should be in true sense. Patriotism need not have a mass motive, it need not be national. Small things and actions persuaded with a notion of doing good to other countrymen is patriotism. Patriotism should be embibed by us to put into our day to day lives. As Elphinstone proposed ‘Divide eta rule’, that is, the path towards conquering an empire is division. Thus we will have to give up the ignoble thinking that we have nurtured towards the society. That is the social divisions made by ourselves need to be abolished. Or it won’t take long for another British Empire to crack us down.
Not only being patriotic towards your country is patriotism but honoring our opponents’ patriotic feelings is also a facet of the diamond, patriotism. Patriots don’t talk about taking life but of giving life for their country. Patriotism is not all about attack, its about defense, its about counterattack. At last I feel, what cannot describe patriotism better than this is - patriotism is like a needle that joins and unites and not a scissor that cuts and divides.
Written By:
A true Indian by heart and soul. (Mentioning by birth does not matter)
Aseem N
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Mr. Arjun Singh give us a break! |
Post Mumbai Bomb Blasts, my soul feels like yelling out “Give us 48 hours atleast Mr.Arjun Singh!”.
For those who have not got this latest bit of news, this is what our so very dear HRD minister, Mr. Arjun Singh was quoted saying, “Our constitution allows reservations for Muslims, and it is very much possible to have them. But at the moment we have no plans to provide reservations on religion basis.”
Ok fine, we respect our constitution however imperfectly it may have been framed, but is there a real need to talk about this issue in not even 48 hours post the Mumbai Bomb Blasts? Our nation has enough problems to sought out than to really start new ones. If you want to talk about, then please do over the killing of innocent lives in the Mumbai Bomb Blasts. Or is that that, there were no reserved classes in those dead or injured that you only care for? Even after seeing students come out on roads from their classes, sweeping the roads for your government, what more do you want to see Mr. Arjun Singh, what more?
We have seen enough protests by students and faculty for the last few months, over the reservation sytem. Its like, you butter your bread and some else snatches it from you and shamelessly swallows it. We have had enough discussions, forums, communities over this issue, most of which have died down, after every attempt of ours failed to reach the ears of the deaf government. Or may be they have been totally indifferent towards it… as they sought after their own political interests. But when we are forced to hear such comments, it really feels like they are teasing our wounds. Were caste reservations not enough for the government that they now want to prick the public with their new political agenda, for reservations on the basis of religion?
Why cant they let us forget the divisions made in our society? Why cant they let us live like ONE, live like an INDIAN? Why do they want to make us realize that a Hindu is a Hindu and a Muslim a Muslim? I thought diversity in cultures and religions was India’s prime strength, and if it is so, I don’t think these people are ever going to help us for it to be that way. No wonder why America is the super power today. Our Indian Government Policies are probably only followed to Divide and Rule. They will never let us forget the castes and religions.
Its been almost 60 years now that we have achieved freedom. There should be a sure end to this system. Reservations are no good to anybody. It’s like giving a child a milk feeding bottle to suck all his childhood and never let him drink with his own cup of milk…
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Dear Terrorist |
Interesting letter I got in my mail. Definitely worth a read…
Dear Terrorist,
Even if you are not reading this we don’t care. Time and again you tried to disturb us and disrupt our life - killing innocent civilians by planting bombs in trains, buses and cars. You have tried hard to bring death and destruction, cause panic and fear and create communal disharmony but everytime you were disgustingly unsuccessful. Do you know how we pass our life in Mumbai? How much it takes for us to earn that single rupee? If you wanted to give us a shock then we are sorry to say that you failed miserably in your ulterior motives. Better look elsewere, not here.
We are not Hindus and Muslims or Gujaratis and Marathis or Punjabis and Bengaliies. Nor do we distinguish ourselves as owners or workers, govt. employees or private employees. WE ARE MUMBAIKERS (Bombay-ites, if you like). We will not allow you to disrupt our life like this. On the last few occassions when you struck (including the 7 deadly blasts in a single day killing over 250 people and injuring 500+ in 1993), we went to work next day in full strength. This time we cleared everything within a few hours and were back to normal - the vendors placing their next order, businessmen finalizing the next deals and the office workers rushing to catch the next train. (Yes the same train you targetted)
Fathom this: Within 3 hours of the blasts, long queues of blood donating volunteers were seen outside various hospital, where most of the injured were admitted. By 12 midnight, the hospital had to issue a notification that blood banks were full and they didn’t require any more blood. The next day, attendance at schools and office was close to 100%, trains & buses were packed to the brim, the crowds were back. The city has simply dusted itself off and moved on - perhaps with greater vigour.
We are Mumbaikers and we live like brothers in times like this. So, do not dare to threaten us with your crackers. The spirit of Mumbai is very strong and can not be harmed.
Please forward this to others. U never know, by chance it may come to hands of a terrorist in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or wherever, we dont care and if he is literate enough, he can read this message which is specially meant for him!!!With Love, From the people of Mumbai (Bombay) INDIA
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Serial Blasts Rock Mumbai – Part II |
The Aftermath [Day1]:
Following the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, the injured were speedily rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. Locals in the blast affected areas were putting in all efforts and money to rescue lives of the blast victims. As I saw on one of the leading news channels that residents were donating their savings to buy costly life saving drugs. With this genuine and unconditional effort coming up from the people of India we know for sure, that our nation will always stand against any terrorist attacks or calamities and help those affected.
But what we have to accept in disgrace is the lack of infrastructure to handle such emergencies on the part of the government and administrative domains. The channels broadcasting the live coverage of the blast affected areas showed clippings with the public infuriated over the police who were present at the incident. As they just watched people run around rather than helping them out. Later hospitals were flooded by friends and families who were left clueless of how to reach their dear ones. Though a record of the victims was made, it was not displayed publicly at any of the hospitals again leaving many who had come in search of their missing family members furious. As NDTV covered this disarray and incompetence of the administrative authorities, what made things worse were visits of VIPs to the hospitals - mostly politicians who thought that they would infill faith back into the public with their presence. But what they didn’t realise was that they left the family members craving and strangled in the crowd who had to be cleared off for security reasons during the ‘VIP visits’.
It took some hours for the surveillance systems to assess the situation and restore equilibrium. Later in the night a few local trains were allowed to ply over in Mumbai.
Mumbai Resumes to Work [Day 2]:
Within less than 12 hours, we saw Mumbai back to its routine life. Such terrorist outbursts can seldom ever take down ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ for long. No institutions whether administrative or educational were closed. This simply shows what a brave Mumbai and ofcourse India we live in.
Face It!
“Terror is something that remains in the minds of the people after the incident. But if we don’t allow it to infiltrate into our hearts and minds, we have definitely beaten the very aim of the terrorists”.
Media does play an important role in shaping the state of mind of the people. What makes me be glad is to see that they have proven to their duties and the nation has fought back. Ironically Everytime we witness such an incident and believe we have fought back, we do nothing but resurrect to our normal life and routine. And those responsible for this act that can be only condemned, scape through any penalty. I sometimes wonder of whether India really has the authority to even do a hundredth of what America did to Afghanistan on 9/11. We can probably only make our cries heard to the United Nations and seek for statements against terrorism and condolences for the victims. I thought for any strike, a counter-strike was the best deal… but exposed to the real world we all are left only to see and accept our brothers and sisters trying to compromise with life…
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Serial Blasts Rock Mumbai – Part I |
Yesterday evening, seven blasts rocked suburban trains in Mumbai killing over 190 people and leaving another 625 injured. The blasts occurred between 6:00 to 6:30pm in first class compartments of trains at Mira-Bhayander, Borivli and Jogeshwari (in north Mumbai), Santacruz and Khar (in north-west Mumbai), and Mahim and Matunga (in central Mumbai) and on the Western Railway network.
As the blasts ripped apart train compartments, charred and distorted bodies of passengers were hurled out, most survivors bleeding profusely, jostled to come out, leading to chaotic scenes. An incident that people will remember for long as they strive to forget these bitter memories in which they lost their near and dear ones.
The reports of blasts that came in after a terrorist attack on a tourist bus in Srinagar killing 8 people earlier in the morning are definitely one amongst the many shameful acts of man against mankind. Pakistan, India’s rival over this disputed territory quickly condemned the bombings. Even so, India alleges that Pakistan supports the Muslim militants. A Kashmiri link to the blasts could slow or perhaps even derail the peace process that has gained momentum between India and Pakistan over the past several years.
As the world witnessed Mumbai’s gory nightmare, India was striving to provide help to the victims. Most TV channels were giving complete coverage of this incident. People around the blast affected areas were lending a helping hand to the survivors providing them with life saving drugs, basic amenities like food, shelter and helping them trace their friends and relatives. The whole nation was in a state of shock the whole of yesterday. Those who survived were strangled in the disarrayed Mumbai trying to reach news of safety to their families as all telephone and cell networks were taken down.
One friend of mine (working in TCS) who survived the blasts wrote by email:
Hi,
The tragedy of bomb blasts …I was in the same train where the biggest blast of the serial blasts happened today..at Bhayander..
This train is the normal train from Churchgate which starts at 5.19 PM and reaches Vasai around 6.40 PM..We sit in middle first class as a group alwyas and some of our friends sit in the first class near the ladies first class compartment..I don’t know what happened with them as there was havoc at that time…
We got a big thrust to our train and thought it was some technical problem in the train and may be the overhead wire or something broke down….but then the smoke started coming out…and we jumped on the tracks..and what we saw in the compartment just ahead of us was horrible…the compartment was totally shattered and it was blood all over..
We were not in a position to do anything but stand in a big shock..then slowly we came to our senses and saw police,fire brigade and ambulances approaching us…Local people who stay near the tracks also helped with water and first aid…
As India takes time to resurrect from this horrendous incident… July the 11th a date that will forever remain a fear in the hearts of the people of Mumbai as many others like March 17th, August 25th which are still fresh in the minds of the people.
What I fail to understand is this futile thirst for blood that has been wrecking lives of many Indians since Independence. After every attempt of perturbing the peace by the terrorists, Kashmir the disputed land remains and forever will remain to be an integral part of India.
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06/15/2007: Yahoooo!!! Finally its all over!07/23/2006: Censored version of BC Sutta
04/01/2008: To Love Is To Not Expect
