Cordon the Corona!

 Tough people last, tough times don't! This is what we say when someone is going through a hard time, to motivate or encourage them to face the hardship with an optimistic vigor. It is that phase of our lives where we need to constantly remind ourselves about this and move ahead with a lot of courage. The news of how this pandemic due to covid-19 is affecting every life on this planet is causing even more stress to most of us. It is very imperative for each one of us to understand the seriousness of the situation and behave in a manner that aids to the control of this covid-19 pandemic. 

                    We all are constantly being subjected to various pieces of advice from multiple platforms, but to no avail if we look at how we as a nation are dealing with this pandemic. The political rallies, the khumbh melas, the crowded wedding parties, are only to name a few. India has really been panned by the way it handled the pandemic. Given the rise in the number of positive cases of corona virus in the 2nd wave, it is clear that all the advice, guidelines, awareness initiatives are falling short. Is it because the message is not conveyed properly to the mass and illiterate population of India? Or is it because of the ignorance of the majority making them illiterate irrespective of their official literacy status? I really appreciate all the front line workers who are working relentlessly towards controlling this pandemic and at the same time it agonizes me to witness few morons causing the virus to spread because they choose to stay ignorant or think they are immortal.  

The health, disaster management organisations are re-iterating on the simple guidelines one should follow in order to break the chain of this life taking virus. Please be aware and make the people around you aware about the deadly impact this virus has on the human kind. It is high time that we as a nation, have to step up and behave in order to have the number of cases decline over the coming days and eventually end the pandemic. If we do not gear up against it now, then considering the current situation we might end up inviting a horrifying 3rd wave of the corona virus spread with no front line workers and equipment available at rescue. 

Given that we are all social animals, it is very hard to lock ourselves up and stay away from each other. We can also become the most creative during such testing times to come up with solutions which would satiate the need of being social. I would also try and write more about topics surrounding this pandemic like mental health, dealing with stress, effective ways to be productive during lockdown, vaccination FAQs with the help of my friends having expertise in the fields of health and disaster management. At this hour, I think I have no choice but to repeat:

Stay home and do not step out unless it is absolutely necessary. Wear a mask whenever you go out and practice social distancing at all times. Wash your hands with soap more frequently and use sanitizers when soap is unavailable outdoors. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as much as possible and when your hands are not washed thoroughly.  These simple behavioral changes is all it takes to fight this pandemic and emerge as winners. I really wish everyone understands the need of the hour and help the country, the world and thereby the human kind to get rid of the corona virus. 

Stay home, stay safe and save lives!

Acharya Devo Bhava

5th September, reminds me of senior students taking up classes in our school letting our teachers relax for the day as part of the teacher's day celebrations. The birthday of the great philosopher, educator of India, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan is celebrated as teacher's day across India. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan who had great love for the teaching profession, believed that the right kind of education only would solve many problems of the society and country. He wanted to bring in a change in the educational system to improve the relation between the teachers and their pupil. He truly was instrumental in reforming the educational system of India at that time.
I would say, anybody who inspires and encourages us to learn and move forward towards our goal is a teacher. Learning is a continuous process and I say it is never ending. And teacher is the one, who helps us discover the joy of learning. Also, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts(Master Stroke) mother is the first teacher and source of learning to all of us. Let us all take some time on this special day and thank all those who inspired us by being with us in times thick and thin. It feels great when I think of those selfless teachers who have contributed to the society in many ways, my heartfelt gratitude to all of them.
                  Teachers should be the best minds of the country and should not just instruct, but also have to gain the affection of their students and thereby earn respect. Few selfish individuals, have commercialized the education system to an extent, that if not reformed at the earliest would pose a great threat to the nation. The number of students now willing to take up teaching as profession has gradually fallen. Let us try and change this by encouraging the young minds willing to take up teaching as profession and not let any commercial elements take over the art of teaching. Teachers are the greatest source of inspiration to their students and have the power to transform them into responsible individuals, contributing to the growth of the nation. Lets respect our teachers/mentors and thank them all for their never ending selfless support. Let the legacy of the great Indian teachers continue. Happy Teachers' Day!

Childhoods never last, but everyone deserves one.

                 It was a bright morning and the atmosphere was so pleasant and energetic. I come out of the home to get some milk from the store across, and find many children in their school uniforms hurrying out of our apartment premises.It reminded me of my school days, but more importantly something else disturbed me a lot. The sight of 9 yr old Lakshmi, standing with a broom in her hand (paused her cleaning act, making way for the children rushing) at the departmental store across the road with a deprived and envious look at these school going children of the same age group as hers, struck to me. I trudged towards the store, asked for the milk packet and inquired Lakshmi about her not going to school and she replied that she had been put to work and was never sent to school. She further added, that she wanted to go to school and wanted to study like all those children. I couldn't help but ponder over Lakshmi's situation.
Child labor is one of the biggest problems that we face in India today. Many children like Lakshmi are deprived of their childhood, schooling and all the fun included in the package. If we say that the future of the country lies in the hands of the youth, then I seriously doubt the future of our nation. Because, if the children of today(who would be the youth of the nation soon) are not provided with the basic learning of their lives, then how can we be assured of them standing for a cause tomorrow. A twinge of guilt forced me to dig deep into this and helped me find some facts about this prevailing problem. And the facts put us to shame. Over 12 million children in India are forced to work for their survival. These children work as domestic helps, on streets, factories and farmlands and are often abused. Not only are they subjected to extremely strenuous work, but also are abused causing them to loose their identity completely and often are pushed into depression. Lets not forget that childhood is the most important phase of anybody's life and impressions of childhood are life-lasting. It's a phase to make or break the future of a child who would eventually represent our nation, contributing to its growth.
                                    Of the seven fundamental rights mentioned in the constitution of India, two talk about the child labor and basic education for the children. Any child under 14 yrs of age is not supposed to be employed and has the right to education. It is good to have such laws, but who would save all these children from this monstrous problem, the law? Definitely not, it is we who can save them. As said by Lao Tzu , "Even a journey of 10,000 miles, starts with a step", a small initiative taken by all of us can bring in a huge change.To start with, let us all say no to child labor by not employing any child under 14 as domestic help. Further, let us try and counsel those who do so, and if required complain about such people to the authorities concerned. Let us all stand united for the good cause and ensure that no child is deprived of their childhood, which is their right. Let's stop child labor.

P.S: If you see a kid under 14 yrs of age working in your locality, or if you know someone who has employed a child under 14, call 1098 to rescue them.

We The People

        To wage a war against India, it is said that our enemies do not need to send any army, all that they have to do is send the required weapons and ammunition and the rest would be taken care by few co-operative Indians. I cannot remember when and where I read/heard this, but it somehow strikes back to my mind as I go through the verdict on the Naroda Patia case. How selfish and brutally insane can some of us be? And it hurts, when highly educated political leaders whom we trust and support anticipating a better future of the nation turn to be those some. Maya Kodnani, a former minister for women and child development, has been convicted for her conspiracy of the Naroda pogrom in which close to a hundred Muslims were mercilessly killed, most of them being women and children. If this is what we get in return for entrusting our politicians(not everybody is such, noted!) the power to reform our lives then I guess then our faith in democracy eventually has to fade away. And, shall we not have to forget about the secular country that once our leaders like Dr.B.R.Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of ?
                           I am happy about the fact that justice again prevailed(after the recent verdict on 26/11 case), a much delayed one though. But, if I have to think about the arson by Maya Kodnani, many things come to my mind and the verdict finally satisfies the Indian within me. Communal riots are also a result of the average population of India being illiterate and uneducated who hang around with their 'unwanted' religious pride (only to be picked by the selfish pricks). Any religion would never preach violence and only the educated (in true sense though, cos the kingpin of this massacre is said to be educated, I choose to think she is just literate. Huh!) would be able to comprehend this. So, should we not focus more on getting the younger generations educated with some sense of moral responsibility who would then be equipped to choose the right leaders and not follow any selfish insane people who project themselves to be leaders. India, being a diverse country always had been a great example of unity amongst such diversity. Let's all respect this matter of fact and continue to exercise the brotherhood across the various communities and not give in to such hopeless shit. Remember, United we stand - Divided we fall. Jai Hind! 

Axed by Tax

I was flipping through some information along with a cup of tea in the morning, and came across something that made me read it twice. It says that there are 8 countries where the citizens do not have to pay any income tax at all. A knock on the door disturbed me, from further exploring the details on that. I opened the door and the watchman handed over a slip to me which detailed the property tax due that I am supposed to pay. Argh! Now, how irritating was that?                                                
                                                 It really annoys me when I think about all the kinds of taxes( any thing that we do has some or the other tax component to it) that we pay and few us are even more scared of the word tax itself. Many of us do not even know how many different taxes we end up paying directly or indirectly. And most of us, do not even question or bother about it. We all know that the central and state governments of India are the authorities that levy tax. But, do we know that there are close to 13 different types of taxes levied by the central govt and 19 different types of taxes by the state govt apart from some minor taxes which go through the municipalities? It really was disappointing to know that there are so many types of taxes axing our hard earned money. I am not against paying tax, but then I have to know that the taxes are being put to good use, for the development of the nation. Every citizen should get to know as to where and how the tax paid by him/her is being spent. Therefore, I have decided to inquire and understand about the tax that I pay every time. Let us be more aware of the taxes that we are paying on various spends. That's the least that we can do to start off with. And, eventually we can bring in some change in the way we look at and pay the taxes. I certainly cannot dream of India joining the league of those 8 nations where there is no income tax, but we certainly can work towards having our taxes utilized for the betterment of the nation. Hope to see an India where the tax payers are happy and not axed for every transaction. Jaago Kardata Jaago!

Justice prevails, but how long to execute?

Not everyday would we wake up happy with news that talks about taking someone's life, but yes it is one such day for me and I do not have any inhibitions in expressing this. The news in itself might have given relief to all those who have lost their dear ones to the cause. Many courageous police & army officials along with few innocent people have lost their lives in the 26/11 incident. Finally, the verdict is out and the convict Kasab is awarded the death penalty. Though it is very sad to understand that it took four long years, to get to this verdict on a brutally insane terrorist. The terror act had many visuals and live video footage and yet it took so long to arrive to this conclusion on this case. I wonder, if the case took so long to get the final sentence, then how long would the execution take? How long shall we have to pay our hard earned money to the government of India (in the form of so many taxes) to provide shelter and feed that terrorist? There are so many under-privileged people below the poverty line who are not getting any benefits from the taxes that we pay and it is sad that a terrorist who raped the country's pride is getting all his needs fulfilled. I am not in favor of the death sentence myself and believe that any person has to get a chance to realize his mistake, reform and live the rest of the life in a more meaningful way. However, in this particular case it would be our foolishness to expect any reformation or realization even on the remotest grounds. The magnitude of the terror operation that was carried out was huge and the impact of it on the entire nation is shattering enough to declare it to be an act of waging war on the nation. Yes, it is no less than a war and we have to fight back hard.
                                                      India as a nation and a land to the great leaders like the Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be one of the most peaceful countries across the globe. That doesn't mean that we have enormous levels of patience to endure these kind of terrorist activities and as an answer to the 26/11 incident, the sentence given out has to be executed on a priority. It has been a kind or rather foolish act on our part that we still believed in the human rights and all other such jazz in having this case dragged for such time, I would rather say it is our inability to speed up the system to get the justice. At least, in cases which have affected and impacted the dignity & pride of the entire nation, should we not take things on priority? The whole nation has awaited for this justice so long and hope it doesn't take too long to have it executed. Let it not become so late before the trust on Indian Judicial system perishes.

P.S: So far the cost of keeping Kasab in his cell has proved to be Rs 25 crore. Shame on us.

Sir'CAR' in INDIA

Of all the inventions in the world, the invention of wheel has changed many things around the globe. Since the invention of wheel in 4000 BC, man's journey to find an automated machine to replace the labor of bullocks and horses has begun. First, a steam driven tractor was invented and soon vehicles powered by internal combustion engine came into picture which gave a platform to the invention of petrol engines. Invention of a petrol engine has made car a practical and safe proposition.
During these times, from the unique rhythm of the bullock carts, India has traveled a long way to the jet-age. It was in 1898, when Indian roads have seen the first motorcar and after that around 4000 cars were directly imported to India from foreign manufacturers. The Hindustan Motors (HM) was setup in 1942, and Premier Autobackmobile Limited (PAL) was established in India in 1944. However, it was PAL who produced the first car in India in 1946, and since then there was no looking back. After a short period of time, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) started manufacturing sturdier utility vehicles.
In the 50's, the government of India granted approval to only 7 dealers to operate in India. The protectionist policies continued to remain the same in 60's and 70's also though the 2/3 wheeler industry started in 60's. Since 80's Indian car industry has witnessed a major change with the opening up of the doors to foreign manufacturers and collaborators. The period of 90's has become the turning point where the end consumer is king with many options available to make a decision in regards to the purchase of a car. These days the competition between the banks has fetched a lot in terms of easy availability of car loans which are processed easily and quickly with the 'customer service' factor. Now, one has to decide upon the model of car that he/she wants to buy and with in no time everything will be arranged. With the presence of companies like Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Tata, Maruti, the roads in India are seeing change. With car comes the passion of speed and now companies like Volkswagen, Porsche, Bentley, Magna are speeding up to enter the the Indian market which has a huge potential. From people who think of car as a status symbol to people who see car as a mode of transport, there is a demand for car in all dimensions. The manufacturers of cars are wooing the consumer with latest models and specifications, the ultimate promise of safety & luxury, which are important to boost the sales of cars with an unbeatable speed.
Most of the high profile citizens own a luxurious car which is elegant enough to add to their style. The logo of the car adds to the status of the owner. Soon, most of the brands available elsewhere in the world will be found on the Indian roads. Many young Indians are keen to observe the logo of the car which passes by, this explains the craze for foreign cars in India.






With this being a constant trend in the society, an average Indian is also looking to own a car, be it a simple one. The demand for the cars is growing along with the population of India, and the manufacturers are experimenting continuously to give something new and exciting to those who are ready to drive everyone crazy. Get Set Go !!!