Be there, n make a Difference

I am sure, most of us will remember the game we used to play in our childhood …

Akkad Bakkad Bambey Bo …

Assi Nabbe Poore Sau …

Sau me laga Dhaaga …

Chor Nikal ke Bhaaga …

Well … this was used mainly to oust a child from a group of children deciding who would give the den in the game … So, in the end, it was so that only one child was left and he would give the first den and the game would begin … Ah, how innocent children are !!!

But here, in this great Indian political tamasha … I believe it is the voters (responsible citizens of this great country) who are playing this game. Last to last time, the NDA remained as the one to give the den (in this case, to run the country’s government) and hence they had to be responsible for the nations’ s affairs over the next 5 years. Then, the game rested on the UPA and they were at the helm of affairs for the next 5 years.

Now, the country is on the brink of another general election. I wonder who is it gonna be this once …

But, a thought flashed here (yes, here refers to my small brain ) …

If we are to select our country’s leaders like this … i mean, on a trial and error basis, then how many chances are left with us or how long are we gonna continue risking our vote like this to find the right combination? Say, even if we do have any number of attempts, what is it actually doing to the economical state of the country ? What I have observed so far is that whenever there is a change of power, the first things which are done are the reversal of policies brought into effect by the outgoing government …

So, when they are reversing the policy decisions, or making amendments to the existing laws just to fulfill their election promises, (which form a base for singing the party’s praises in the next general elections … that … we fulfilled our election promises, we did this, we did that … etc … etc … )

But do we ever think here that what this is actually doing to the country ? Every time a policy is changed, the country suffers. What is good for the country’s development, surely gets reverted, if not that which is bad !!!

The aftermath is, let me state it if we still haven’t realised it, in the narrow vision of the party-votebank politics, the larger goal of country’s progress is overshadowed.

Tell me, instead of preparations for granting spcial privileges to the economically and socially backward classes, and other oppressed sections of the society, or the raising of other such issues, should not our actual aim be to grant this country what she long and deservedly deserve … progress ?

They say … India is a country of villages. I find myself agreeing to this statement … the only difference being that some of these villages are urbanised. The reason(s) why I am saying this is:

• How many villages are such which are well connected to other major centers in the city?
• How many towns/villages/cities etc. are well-equipped to provide the basic life amenities like food, water, shelter, etc. ?
• How many villages show signs of development, signs of progress, signs of moving towards urbanisation?
• How many villages can boast of a high (if not cent percent) rate of literacy?

As far as my knowledge goes, the statistics/figures in answer of my questions are very few, really very few.

So, what I think is, that this should be the common agenda for all the parties contesting the elections. Coz for how long are we going to divide our country with lines of majority and minority population/strong and weak in the sense of party votebanks and the like.

Don’t you think the time has come now to divide the country along the lines of developed/developing and underdeveloped states/cities/villages/towns, etc. and try and bridge this gap as soon as possible?

hmm … interesting topic …

Let me try n present both views of this topic …

Ayes first …

Restrictions are necessary to impose so that youth can be kept in control. There are many types of restrictions: legal, moral, ethical, individual, family imposed, etc…etc…

e.g. Restrictions regarding marriageable age, age for voting, age for consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking and other tobacco products, restrictions for monogamy, individual restrictions regarding behaviour and living, conversational restrictions like not uttering cuss words during normal and formal conversation, etc…

These are good as they chart a person’s life on the good path … the path approved by and generally followed in the society in which we live. These make a person likeable and approachable in the society. These make a human being. Not having any restrictions would create havoc. Imagine a situation wherein people behave as they please with no fear of rules, regulations and laws. No bindings, nothing … a situation akin to “jungle raaj”.

Society demands its own rules and regulations to be followed and youth are a part of the society and the future responsible citizens of the country. They are the ones to guide the nation’s course. If youth are not restricted, then in today’s world of shrinking borders, we can see teenagers flaunting pistols in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other … not to mention the multitude of rings of smoke. No restriction for coming back to home on time, behaving cordially, education for atleast 18 years of life … the very imagination is enough to raise one’s hair on end.

Hence, restrictions are necessary for youth to be accountable.

Opposing view …

Restrictions restrict a person’s imagination. Restrictions bind the free human mind. Restrictions set the borders beyond which the mind is prohibited from wandering. Restrictions restrict the mind’s leap.

Had there been restrictions to innovate, the wonderful and life-changing inventions would not have been possible. People would not have thought beyond the obvious. There minds would not have ventured outside the ordinary fearing the restrictions. Of course, everything has a good and bad side to it. But, it is for youths to self realise as to what extent they can go to follow their will … and how they want to lead their lives. The freedom should not be mistaken for absolute anarchy.

It is for youths themselves to guard their appearance and behaviour and living so as not to offend the general sentiments of the society but restrictions do not go anywhere in guaranteeing this. You cannot stop a young person from following his peer into a entertainment place just on the pretext of restrictions. It is for that young mind to decide what is good and what is not so good for him.

Responsibility is necessary to inculcate among the youths but it cannot be imposed by means of restrictions.

Phew … I can’t believe I’ve written so much … so, now that my brain is highly exhausted because of this over-exertion … let me allow it to relax a bit … you can post your views till my little brain gets up and blogging …

I had once written about the “kadak” experience of Tea at Tapri and how the taste is just awesome …

Probably sardarji ne mera post padh liya and the thing went straight into his head. The tea’s taste (which was once just tooooo good) has since been on the downslide … not to mention the quantity of milk as well.

Maggi still remains amazing (so far, touchwood !!!) 

Today, what compelled me to write this post is the harrowing experience which I had for my routine breakfast at office … kande pohe …

Hmm…it so happened that the usual tapri at which we have breakfast and tea (yes, you guessed it … we have long shifted from sardarji’s tapri) was closed … which is quite common these days … ( although i dunno why that tapri wala closes his tapri almost every third day … but, that might become the topic of another post )

Hence, we had no choice than to try out other options … and sardarji had once told my breakfast mate, Madhura, that … “Hum aajkal pohe bhi rakhne lage hain ji.” Probably, sardarji realised that majority people in Panchshil Tech Park have kande pohe as their staple breakfast. So, as part of our trial n error, we went their and had sardarji’s pohe.

And now, I am in a fix as to what to write and what not to write in “tareef” of the pohe. Since I am falling short of words, forget phrasing a complete sentence … hence I will resort to goliyan … here goes …

• Cold
• Looked stale
• Taste (if any) was absolutely pathetic
• Priced at 10/- INR
• Pohe were presented in Thermocol plates with plastic spoons ( after hearing the price, one thought which immediately flashed into my mind was … ye thermocol plate aur plastic spoons ka price bhi humse hi wasool raha hai … grrrrrr )
• goliyan = bullets

An important thing which I consider my moral duty to inform you all is that there are muchhhhhhhhhhhh better tasting kande-pohe available at host of other tapris for 6/- INR.

And have I mentioned that sardarji has employed one more person apart from his kid ( oops … sorry … of course sardarji hasn’t ‘employed’ his kid on the tapri … wo baccha to us tapri ka bhaavi owner hai … he is gonna inherit the fortune made by sardarji in this tapri business  )

Also, sardarji has purchased the neighbouring tapri … i can sense some expansion plans here … So, if you are wondering why I’ve given the topic of this post as Quick Money … let me clarify …

Going by sardarji’s pricing policy … he is easily getting almost 50% profit in the total sales of pohe alone ( yeah, howsoever “bhangaar” the pohe might be … there were still some takers ) … and also, there are other items as well, besides maggi, tea, sandwiches, rajma chawal, chana chawal, aloo paratha and other things … and with the onset of summers, he has started keeping “shahi lassi” and cold drinks as well … I won’t be surprised if someday he starts limbu sharbat as well … (over) priced at 10/- INR

Itna profit at so less quality will quickly enable him to “royal bhalle bhalle” till the end of the road …. !!!!!!

P.S. Just some food for thought : how far is one justified at earning huge and multiplied profits by offering under par products ???

How many times have we read this line ? But the problem is, we don’t follow it … never at all … well, almost never !

How problematic it is when you have approximately 35-55W of light right on your eyes !!! Not to mention the glare it leaves behind as “glare lies in the eyes of the beholder”. Not only does this cause a temporary blindness kind of feeling but also further increases the chance of accidents.

The main purpose of using the dipper is that the visibility of the road ahead is increased, without that strong beam of light falling on the other person’s eyes. This is all the more helpful when the road ahead is bumpy, which is a routine rather than an exception.

Please do try and follow this simple mantra so that you improve your road visibility AND cause less trouble to other people as well. Coz, just try and imagine yourself in a situation wherein your eyes are gazing unblinkingly at a direct strong beam of 35W of light and you have another vehichle in front of you, in your lane only, whereas the source of light is in front on the opposite side. What would your reaction/feeling be ???

If you are being honest, your reaction would be ” Abbeee ….. Use dipper at night. Ye rule kabhi padha nai kya??? “

So, if this problem can be solved by just a flick of a button, then WHY NOT ?!?!?!