Just Jottings-1

22.10.2013 :

Today is Karva Chauth. My nephew told me. He is in Himachal Pradesh and he came across the celebration there in the day. He narrated how the people are celebrating the occasion. Bur what is Karva Chauth? I heard it for the first time from him. In the era of Google, there is no need to blink. Any information is available there and I got it.

How many festivals we have! Life is a celebration and in all its beauty, we celebrate it. The Google search gave very interesting reading about the rituals associated with Karva Chauth

 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karva_Chauth
 

Ladies observe fast from dawn to dusk on this day . "The fast begins with dawn. Fasting women do not eat during the day, and some do not drink any water either. In traditional observances of the fast, the fasting woman does no housework. Women apply henna and other cosmetics to themselves and each other. The day passes in meeting friends and relatives. In some regions, it is customary to give and exchange painted clay pots filled with put bangles, ribbons, home-made candy, cosmetics and small cloth items (e.g., handkerchiefs). Since Karwa Chauth follows soon after the Kharif crop harvest in the rural areas, it is a good time for community festivities and gift exchanges. Parents often send gifts to their married daughters and their children." Very interesting, isn't it? 
 

My nephew gave another information last year. That was about Congo. He went there as a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force to impose peace treaty between the government and the warring factions. Google search to the African countries throws information to the appalling conditions in which people live there. The poorest of the poor countries are further made poor by a bunch of senseless people. Congo is one example. Look at Somalia or Ethiopia. Situation is nothing less than horrible.

 

In Congo it is the Government versus M23. Fighting rages on, then they make peace and then they fight. Look at Somalia. Why do they fight? It is difficult to comprehend, but they live like this. They get sophisticated arms to kill people. Nobody knows from where they manage to get such weapons of mass destruction. Life is extremely hard there. Armed conflicts are considered the only way to solve the problems. Not only in Africa, everywhere except India and the developed countries, that is how people sort out the issues. Sadly, they never understand that, no problems on this earth could ever be resolved using guns and bombs. They would have never heard of the word Satyagraha.
 

 

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-a-half-million-children-face-starvation-in-east-africa-fotostrecke-70951-5.html

 

We can only wish a Mahatma Gandhi or a Gautama Buddha is born in these hopeless countries and teach the people the virtues of non violence. Problems can only be solved if people can realise the importance of non violence. Smile and keep calm even in extreme provocations...That is what Bhagavan Krishnan taught our society and we are the proud followers of that great incarnation. Perhaps, another birth by the Bhagavan is badly needed in the God foresaken hinterlands of the globe to save the helpless mass who reel under a handful of trigger happy insane human beings

 

A mercy petition

For the past several days I am not keeping good health. Why only past several days, I think, since my birth, I have been facing a problem or the other with my health. Did you ever notice, most of our community members look so bad like me? Everyone of us has some kind of problem with our health. This was not our making but the outcome of the misdeeds you indulge. Did you see what type of water we drink? It is black in colour. It is mixed with all the chemicals you use or rather forced to use. I and my community members are not able to drink water that could be as pure as that you use in the toilet. 

 

How much water you waste for a single day? Water flows off the tap without any use most of the time. Look, we have no water to drink. We dip our head in the dirty sewage water to sustain our lives. By the way, do you really require to use such a heavy dose of cream to have a shave everyday? Is it not possible to avoid applying such chemicals once in a week for the sake of the other creatures living at your mercy? Just use a little warm water, wet your chin with it and then use a good razor. Please try it for a day in every week at least. Let that water flow out. For the God's sake, if you do that, I and my friends and relatives shall have stomach full of "pure" drinking water once in a blue moon. I have not seen clear water since my birth.

 

Who's responsible for this?

You dig deep into the earth to get water while contaminating all natural water sources with your wastes. There are Reverse Osmosis, Ultra Violet treatment and umpteen numbers of filtrations to make bad water to potable water. You know, some vested interest groups even contaminate water sources to sell the products? Ulimately, the so called friends of yours suffer the most. Water all around me is black in colour. It stinks too. Life in the middle of such filth is unbearable. Who gifted this life to us? Did you spare a few seconds to think about this? You may not have time to think about others, not even for the crores of human beings who too find it so hard to find drinking water. Like me and my community members, almost all living things in the world struggle to find clean water, thanks to your senselessness.

 

It is not only about water, even the food we eat is highly contaminated. We rummage through the heaps of wastes you produce in your dwelling places and then pack up in the obnoxious plastic bags and throw to the streets. We get to eat only the wastes you throw. We are not sure what is the level of poison mixed in these food wastes, but I am sure you too eat poison like this. You know, the rice in the beautiful bags are mixed with pesticides before it was packed? . Just wash a cup of rice with your hands, an oily substance will be sticking to your hands. I overheard from a group of people while discussing this. It is really dangerous for you too, but still, your compatriots never show mercy to you too!

 

"This plot for sale" "Luxurious villas for sale", "this property belongs to XYZ" ...There are so many such hoardings and sign boards sprouting all around. Every inch of the land is occupied by you. Who told this land belongs to only you? Fom where did you get the total rights over the earth?  May I know, where shall we go? Where shall we find shelter when there is rain? You make palatial living places all around. To stop us from enetering, you make big walls and gates. Empty places are fenced. We have no place to go. Our food and water are poisoned by you. We have only street food and sewage water. No place to live in...

 

Still you say we are nuisance. Is not the other way round dear friend? You often complain of our presnece in the locality. Your comfortable stay in the ivory towers are disturbed by us! One day a caged truck turns up in the locality. Some people emerge from this vehicle with a crude device. They pounce on us, trap us in the device, throw the unfortunate ones to the truck so mercilessly. Did you ever give your ears to those excruciating hawls? I heard them with a numb in my heart and helplessness from a safe distance. I do not know when that dreaded noose is going to tighten around my neck. Still we do not complain. We still remain your best friends. We have only one prayer. One day you will change. Realise the mistakes. Learn how to live in harmony with the nature and other living things

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/bangalore-dog-catchers-under-fire/12288
 

I am not sure if our prayers will be heard by our creator. He has no time to listen to us. You build magnifient abodes for Him. Place lightining arresters at the top of it. Keep heavily armed security guards outside to protect him. Priests and servants to take care of Him 24 x 7. You offer Him kilos of gold and bundles of notes. He in turn showers blessings on you. There is no place in his vast heart even a place that is as small as a mustard seed. We cannot build such maginfienct buildings for Him and proclaim our faith in Him through the blaring loud speakers. We are lost out. like all other creations. Of late, God has started thinking that He has to take care of only human beings. Ultimately, we are at your feet, begging for a little mercy, a fraction of that you show to the mass murderers, rapists and terrorists  We don't demand your heart to bleed for us, but please let us live with a little dignity, please.... 

Desert Living -12

Syria : 17.12.2009

 

Let me return to India, I shall get into a fast unto death agitation till the central government announces a separate state of Olavaipe. Development is not coming to my village. As I have been telling through my earlier postings, except three government institutions – the LP school, the ayurvedic clinic and the post office - we have nothing to boast of. Even in these three institutions, patronage is too less. Their survival is in crisis at present. I too need to develop. How long should I work like this? How long should I continue counting Gandhi in just thousands?
 

India has been divided into states, first in the name of language and then, of late, in the name of development. Now perhaps people are making hue and cry to make smaller states only with a view to make their own fiefdoms. Look at Uttarakhand. Madhu Koda, till the other day, was a labourer in some mines. His daily wage was a desperately low figure that never crossed two digits. In a newly formed state, that was formed in the name of ushering in development to the region, only Madhu Koda and his accomplices could develop. More states create more Chief ministers, Governors, Bureaucrats and resultant large scale corruption. Nothing more than this was achieved in the recent past in the name of separate states.
 

By the way, today is ‘Kuchela dinam’. It is believed that this day Kuselan visited his long lost friend Lord Krisha at his palace. Though both the friends differ like chalk and cheese in the case of their financial status, on the ground zero, the intimacy of the personal relation got better of it. This story underlines the importance of relations, especially friendships. Nothing like social status, lack of time or fat bank balance shall stop us from saying a hello to our friends and relatives once in a while. If there is will, there is way too. But remember, no kuchelan shall be entertained if it involves any financial implications, for, we are no Krishnans!!
 

Also, today another significant incident took place in our office. Our construction manager has come to office sharp at 7 in the morning. Let me repeat, sharp at seven. He otherwise never turns up in the office before 8 and invariably leaves the office by 3 in the afternoon. Keeping all of us in the desert camp, he lives with his wife in the nearby city. He travels up and down daily. When he came to site office today, not many of the guys were present in the office. Most of us come to office by 715 or even later. However, I, as usual, was present in the office at 645. Today, for the first time, the boss saw that the office is almost empty when the office is supposed to start. He immediately sent a circular, instructing everyone to be present in the office latest by 7. Look, boss can do anything. He need not be the leader by example. Who will ensure the punctuality of the work force? The boss will never be there to see them keeping the time.
 

Our friend Vincent has a blog spot about the Hindu Religion. Recently he had posted my write up about Ramayanam with the title Ramayana masam in his blog spot. By no way, I have propagated any particular ideology through that write up. I never saw it till now. Recently I had tried on the google to search the name of our village Olavaipe. Then vincent’s bolg- spot was there and my story was the first in that. When I clicked to open this blog-spot, I was shocked. It is blocked here! Whatever be the reason for this, I never digest it. The people whom I came across in Syria so far are very nice ones. They are very simple. Though they are very religious, religion by and large is a private affair for most of them. Thankfully fanatism is not seen so far among them.

 

I could see a special kind of glow in their faces, when I say to the young workers and technicians here “you are so good”. Really these words go straight into their hearts. They want to hear it again and again.
 

As a general principle, good and bad people are existing in every society. Remember, at one point of time, USA was toying with the idea of having peace talks with moderate Taliban elements? Look, even in the extreme and stone age ideologies too, we were able to see something positive! People with exceptional intelligence like George Bush only could identify this.
 

Surely, all angles have not descended on this part of the world and settled down here. They are proportionately distributed in this world. Why the government and the institutions that lead the people can not let winds of various cultures enter their homes through the windows of their hearts? Like China why Syria too fear this? I felt so sad about this. It is unacceptable to the free citizens of any country to let the government decide what we should choose.
 

We can see isolated houses in the vast expanse of lands in Syria. One family lives amidst nothing. Even water will not be available. They fetch water in tanker lorries. A few hundred meters away, there may be another house. Like that I could see three or four houses in this locality. I do not know why they live like this. For everything they may have to depend on the outer world, that may be even hundred kilometer away. Even in a medical emergency, they can never expect any help. There are hundreds of houses dotting the Syrian open lands like this. Do they really care for their children’s education? Don’t they prefer a life in the middle of a cultured society? Whatever be the factors that are forcing them to live here, it is extremely deplorable. They possess weapons for self defense. Every house possesses at least a vehicle. There is no question of public transportation here.
 

Any takers for such a life? If space tourism or a moon walk is not possible, let us have at least a day out in one of these houses.

A letter for you, Governor!

Dear Governor, 

My hands are trembling as I am typing. Heart beats might have crossed 200 per minute. I see only darkness everywhere. The television set in front of me shows people running for their lives. It is another terrorist attack in a shopping mall. They were asked questions about religion. Those who could not answer were shot -at point blank. Morons are out once again to save their religion! In fact only morons are there to protect religions or to be more precise, only morons are following religions! The television is showing news about another bomb blast in Pakistan. The death toll is more than eighty people. Death, destruction and horror. Is there any place safe in this earth? Religions have made this earth a dangerous place to live in. 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/23/pakistan-church-bombings-christian-minority

Are you wondering that why do I tell this to you! Of course, you may not be affected by such calamities because you are always surrounded by black cats. When a bomb goes off in a street or a communal violence occurs, it is the common man who suffers the most. Even in Musaffarnagar, most of the victims were poor people. For their religions that can give nothing in return, they killed and died. They would have hardly had a good house to live in. They could be daily wage earners. if a day's work is stopped, they could not get their wage. Still, they are dragged into this madness and blood is shed to save the religions and Gods. No God will come to their rescue. Gods are calmly spending their time in the well decorated places of worship! 

Logic has no place, dear Governor, where fear takes over the brain. I have been typing something irrelevant to you. I am worried, I am concerned. I am helpless. It has happened in our country and it can happen anytime and anywhere again. 

Mr Governor, I shall come to the point. You hiked the RRR yet again. I know nothing about RRR but I very well know my bank would have increased the rate of interest on my home loan the moment you announced the increase. You, like the pundits in economics used jargon abundantly to hand out the shocker. My ever-at-service bank increases the interest rate on home loans whenever the RRR goes up. Five years back, it started with 8.5% interest rate and now it has reached 12 percent and raring to go up. 

There was a boom in the real estate five to seven years back. Those days, the experts in economics predicted a lot about golden era in economy. They said, it was the right time to invest in real estate and the bank rates are set to go down to encourage home sector. They predicted so many other things on inflation, performance of Indian Rupee against USD, Balance of Payment, Trade Deficit, the list is very long. The picture these pundits drew had so many roses in it. Now, I think the same experts are at pains to explain the reasons why their predictions went wrong. This is how exactly a meteorologists predicts about rain! Please note, dear Governor, I had paid nearly two lacs rupees towards income tax and the interest paid on home loan was around 1.5 lacs last year . The eye popping salary and the perks you enjoy contain a fraction of my sweat too.

When you took over the reins a few days back, the elitist English media was celebrating. They called you the poster boy. They showed us another poster boy some 20 years back. He too, like you, was a Governor. He was touted as the Messiah of economic reforms. The media also told us that in another 20 years from the incarnation of this Saviour, India's fortunes will turn the corner and proceed straight to a prosperous world. 

You gave the inaugural speech. The English media almost compared it with that of JFK's. They said it was electrifying. They said, a star has risen in the horizon. Another Saviour has at last reached! Immediately after your speech, the SENSEX soared. Rupee gained and so many miracles happened. By the way, what is this Sensex? How are common men affected by the ups and downs of this? I have no idea, for, I do not follow the Sensex. Of course, I see so many articles in the magazines about sex! It is a trend now to mention something about sex on the cover sheet of any type of magazines in our country. 

Since the advent of the economic reforms, the pundits 'guided'the neo-rich citizens of the country to go for Systematic Investment Plans, Equity Linked Insurance Policies and other 'money making' devices. Some tie wearing, fluently English speaking business executives targeted me too. They explained to me the virtues of these products. They waxed eloquent about the economy. They said, it is booming and the future of investment is in such products. I could not understand a word of what these people said, but I was in a hurry to invest. I was given a few papers to sign. These papers were application forms that were not filled up. The business executives did this job by themselves in their anxiousness to serve me. They were ready to do anything - till I signed on the dotted lines. Cheque signed and handed over to the executive. There ended the customer service. I was politely informed by some of these executives at a later date that he/she was no longer working with that particular set up.

That is a fact. It is time we sat back and stared thinking aloud about what the elitist-triggered reforms brought about to the common man of the country. As a section of the society made rapid strides in their lives due to the changes, the other side of the coin had been always reflecting the degradation of moral values. No need to care for this, because money makes us overlook this dark side. My only question is, should we need a Governor to govern an institution that has nothing to offer to the man who contributes a fraction of his remuneration and the man on the street who is affected the most because of the all around price rise 

Desert Living -9

Syria 28.11.2009

This time too my name is not there in the list of India’s ten richest people. I feel largely disappointed. Even after toiling like this for the past two decades, what did I achieve? I do not own a posh villa in the metropolis, I do not own a S class merc, I do not have a club membership. I don’t think moksha is possible in this birth. But still, there is a saving grace. None of the guys and gals I know too do not appear in the list!!

Shilpa Shetty’s wedding dress was worth 75 Lacs. Still many parts in her body could not be effectively covered. When she decided to dress up in the traditional way it could have been a little more decent. In reel life however she reveals everything for money. At least in this real life event she should have appeared as a ‘bharatiya nari’ .

Though the life is in the desert, we never feel scarcity of anything here. Water in abundance – open the tap, clear water flows nonstop. Open the refrigerator – unlimited numbers of packaged drinking water bottles are stacked in it. Switch on the air conditioner it gives hot or cold air as per our requirement. Another switch starts the TV and another one water heater. But, interestingly, no one needs to switch on any of these gadgets because none of them are switched off ever. Just click the print tab on the PC, reams of papers are printed by the printer within a few seconds. Guys print anything they feel like, even if it is of no use. There are many instances where people print hundreds of pages by mistake. They do not even turn up at the printer to collect these ‘waste’ papers.

As I have been typing this, I have just dropped a water bottle into the bin. Still a little water was remaining in it. But who cares for it? Water is supplied in sealed bottles of One and a half litre capacity. Imagine a minimum of one bottle each is consumed by each person everyday. How many plastic bottles will be dumped into the dust bins? This camp consists of at least 200 people. So, two hundred bottles are added to the disaster called plastic.

Human insensitivity towards climatic changes and global warming is alarming. Waste - this is the most produced item in Gulf, especially at project sites.

In a well developed industrialized Gulf country, we can see tens of flares. Unused gas and petroleum products are burnt away through these flares. It is frightening to look at them. The flares will have heights even as high as 50 meters –in my guess.

As all of us know, more than 90% of the people working in the project sites in Gulf are from India and other developing/undeveloped countries. They must know the value of everything. Still, the way they behave suggests that there is no tomorrow for them.
 

For example, the air conditioners. Every container used for accommodation and office at site are provided with air conditioners. Everyone leaves his room by the day break only to return by late in the evening. During this long gap, the air conditioners will be working. No one cares to switch them off. The excuse is that, if the ac is switched off, due to no circulation of air, room will be very hot. So, when they come back from job, the room will be too hot to enter. They can not afford to sit in the room just for a few minutes in the hot room.

Next come water heaters and exhaust fans in the containers. None of these equipment are switched off, while the occupants leave the container. A large campus at a project site may contain upto 200 hundred to 300 hundred portable cabins. If all air conditioners, water heaters and the toilet exhaust fans are working round the clock, what will be the power waste? We can see huge diesel generators of minimum 500KVA capacity lined up in the camp that will run non stop.

Tissue papers have very great demand here. We Indians, as far as my belief goes, use handkerchief to clean our hands, face mouth and nose. Here, the same Indians, after washing their hands, just pulls out several pieces of tissue paper and use them to clean various parts of their body and dump them in to the waste basket. For each sneeze, several papers go down to the drain.

Frightening. But we all learnt to live with this fear. No matter how difficult the consequences be.

No amount of story telling about desert living will not be complete if something about Kuboos is not mentioned. Without Kuboos, life in Gulf is not complete. When I landed in Qatar last time, I had the first encounter with this Arabian bread. It is like our chapathi in shape but is made of a blend of maida and cornflake flour.and a little bit of yeast. It is baked instead of toasting like our chapathi. It has no specific taste. So like our chapathis, we have to eat it with some dish. Kuboos are made in mass quantity and are packed in plastic covers and like our bread are sold in shops. Arabs use this as their main food item. I believe, if we can learn the right combination of the Arabian bread, there is a good scope for making it there in India. I am sure it has a good business potential. Who knows one day you will not be known as a Kuboos baron! Take a plunge and see the result. I shall buy them regularly.

A few days ago I came across a very interesting scene. With sincere apologies to all you good human beings, may I say this too is a story related to animals. The other day, when we were on our way to the site, we spotted a herd of sheep grazing on the bushes. To guard them there were three dogs. When these dogs spotted our car from a distance, they took position as if an enemy is approaching them. As the car neared them the dogs stared barking and running after the car menacingly. The car sped past these animals unmindful of their war cries. The dogs ran for a distance and stopped. What must the dogs have thought of this incident? They must have felt proud of doing their duty of protecting the sheep from the enemies. They did their duty with sincerity.

And the master? What would be the master master doing while the dogs were on duty? He must be stretching himself in a well cushioned arm chair and sipping a cup of chai (Chai in Arabic means tea as in India). Or enjoying kuboos with a deliciously cooked mutton fry along with his favorite sauce. The loyal guards do their duty with all sincerity, even ready to lay down their life for their master. Most importantly, without laying claim to the fruits of this “karma”. How many of us can follow these dogs on their karma path? I never like to abuse anyone by calling him/her dog. This, by any standard, is a direct affront to a noble animal. We shall never insult this animal by equating it with human beings!

The sheep eat grass for their master. Somewhere in the shelter the master is counting the money these sheep are going to generate. They may hardly realize that the end destination of all of them is a food processing centre. Food processing centre is the decent name for the slaughter house.

The dogs, when they grow older and render useless for the master, will also be deserted by the master. They will be thrown to the streets forcing them to fend for themselves.

This is life. Emotions and bonds have no place in life. Everything is as per convenience. Attitudes and relations change as per situations. But still dogs are ever ready to bark and bite and even lay down their lives for their masters 24x7.