I was going through Sunita Narain's profile on wikipedia and eventually landed up on CSE's website. CSE is the Centre for Science and Environment. It is a public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi. CSE researches into, lobbies for and communicates the urgency of development that is both sustainable and equitable. (http://www.cseindia.org/node/214).
Sunita is current CSE director and was in news for pesticide in cold drinks issue.
Just started wondering, can there be any such similar organization looking into government policies related to primary education, women health and other social policies. A watch dog sort of organization........always keeping the government on their toes and rejuvenating the masses.
Just wondering........
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Unjustified End
“My choice is this one. You know dad….She is the best. High class, beautiful and of our standard” Rama heard Samir say this in the living room. Her heart sank and ears popped up. The conversation continued in the living room between Samir and his parents. They, though, initially disagreed with him, later gave consent to his choice. Rama who was listening to this conversation from her corner, small room thought that her grandson was getting married and they were discussing the options available. She got furious, stormed out of room and said, “So…now I am not even that worth that you should inform me of my grandson’s marriage.” Her voice had a begging tone but it was delivered with the authority of older days.
Rama was in her seventies and had lost her husband some years ago. She was living with his only son and his family. Family, that usually used to welcome her with open arms, had been indifferent towards her after her husband’s death. She was given the corner room, initially she was discussed and was involved in family functions but for last some months she was not even informed.
“Naah Maa….how can we do that? You are the eldest member of our family and nothing will happen without your consent.” assured Samir’s father. He added,” We are purchasing a new car and we were discussing that. We didn’t invite you for the conversation as you don’t have much knowledge about cars. Isn’t it?”
“Yeah…..Yeah…you are right. Take me for a ride when its home” replied Rama.
“Haan Maa…definitely……..now you take some rest” said Samir’s father and escorted her to the room and returned back.
‘But Baba, where would we keep the car? We need a parking area in our house?’ asked Samir.
Samir’s father didn’t reply, thoughtful with his head upped on the sofa, eyes closed and one hand on forehead. He murmured, “I will arrange for parking”
Car was home after some days. Next morning Sameer’s father took Rama for a ride. She was proud of her son. She kept on saying how happy his father would have been, had he been alive today. He took rounds of the city ground and then raced up towards the outskirt. He stopped at a small building and asked Rama to wait inside till he came back after servicing the car. He said that it was his friend’s house.
It was a two stored building with a office in the front. It had a big lawn on its right side and a garden in front. Some people were busy with minor jobs in garden and rest was chit chatting in the lawn. Rama entered in the office and was welcomed generously. She said, “I have been asked by my son, who is your friend, to wait here”
‘No probs….be comfortable…He had called me yesterday” replied the office in charge and asked the peon to bring tea.
“What does his friend do? This could not be his home.” wondered she. This was a different place. All were busy; depression was evident on their faces though they tried to cover it under their manufactured smile. Rama went inside and saw two rows of cots lined up in two big rooms with a large sign ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ written over the door.
She sat on one of the cots. She was worried, unsure what to do. Tired, she went into sleep till somebody woke her up, “Hey lady! Wake up. Its dinner time”
It has got late, it was evening now.
“No Thanks….I have to go back. My son will be coming anytime to pick me up. He might have got busy some where” confidently replied Rama.
Lady left for dinning room saying in Rama’s ear, “I have been waiting for my son for last three days. He never came back. Old is not gold always”
Rama was in her seventies and had lost her husband some years ago. She was living with his only son and his family. Family, that usually used to welcome her with open arms, had been indifferent towards her after her husband’s death. She was given the corner room, initially she was discussed and was involved in family functions but for last some months she was not even informed.
“Naah Maa….how can we do that? You are the eldest member of our family and nothing will happen without your consent.” assured Samir’s father. He added,” We are purchasing a new car and we were discussing that. We didn’t invite you for the conversation as you don’t have much knowledge about cars. Isn’t it?”
“Yeah…..Yeah…you are right. Take me for a ride when its home” replied Rama.
“Haan Maa…definitely……..now you take some rest” said Samir’s father and escorted her to the room and returned back.
‘But Baba, where would we keep the car? We need a parking area in our house?’ asked Samir.
Samir’s father didn’t reply, thoughtful with his head upped on the sofa, eyes closed and one hand on forehead. He murmured, “I will arrange for parking”
Car was home after some days. Next morning Sameer’s father took Rama for a ride. She was proud of her son. She kept on saying how happy his father would have been, had he been alive today. He took rounds of the city ground and then raced up towards the outskirt. He stopped at a small building and asked Rama to wait inside till he came back after servicing the car. He said that it was his friend’s house.
It was a two stored building with a office in the front. It had a big lawn on its right side and a garden in front. Some people were busy with minor jobs in garden and rest was chit chatting in the lawn. Rama entered in the office and was welcomed generously. She said, “I have been asked by my son, who is your friend, to wait here”
‘No probs….be comfortable…He had called me yesterday” replied the office in charge and asked the peon to bring tea.
“What does his friend do? This could not be his home.” wondered she. This was a different place. All were busy; depression was evident on their faces though they tried to cover it under their manufactured smile. Rama went inside and saw two rows of cots lined up in two big rooms with a large sign ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ written over the door.
She sat on one of the cots. She was worried, unsure what to do. Tired, she went into sleep till somebody woke her up, “Hey lady! Wake up. Its dinner time”
It has got late, it was evening now.
“No Thanks….I have to go back. My son will be coming anytime to pick me up. He might have got busy some where” confidently replied Rama.
Lady left for dinning room saying in Rama’s ear, “I have been waiting for my son for last three days. He never came back. Old is not gold always”
Thursday, December 10, 2009
More Telanganas Waiting to Erupt
When union home minister P.Chidambram announced central government’s tactical approval for separate Telangana state, he must have been well aware of its repercussions. Separate Telangana state has been a long standing demand, intermittently going into sleep. But fast unto death undertaken by KCR, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, not only pulled it from hibernation but put it into the front. Public especially students joined in and it turned into a mass movement. KCR was adamant and doctors worried. Finally government at centre relented. Telangana went into celebration while rest of Andhra started sulking. It is just the start of the problem; major bone of contention will be Hyderabad. Elected representatives of rest of Andhra have already started resigning. I hope everything goes fine.
But the most devilish prediction any could make is the surge in similar demands for more states from other parts of India. Vidharbha( from Maharashtra), Harit Pradesh( from UP), Cooch Bihar( from Bengal and Assam), Bhojpur (from UP and Bihar), Mithalanchal (from Bihar), Bundelkhand( from MP and UP), Gorkhaland(from Bengal)…………list is long. It is demand of the hour of nip the bud in nascent. We can’t accept such demand at any cost though some of these do seem legitimate.
It would be better if centre brings in a resolution in parliament clearly redrawing the steps for creation of new states. Making the steps more stringent like clearly defining the minimum area, population, GDP, availability of natural resources and its ability to self sustain etc. for any new state resolution to be passed by state assemblies. A committee made of PM, Leader of Opposition, CM of state demanded to be bifurcated and CM of its neighboring states should screen any such resolution passed from state legislative assembly. If it is rejected by the screening committee, no such resolution could be brought in for, atleast, next fifty years. This committee should meet only once in two years, during CMs conclave in Delhi to save everybody’s time.
There was a time when the no. of council of ministers had become bone of contention. Horse trading was at its peak and each and every government was toppled by MLAs lured by lollypops like ministry. This menace was very well curbed by Vajpayee Govt. by limiting the maximum no. of ministers in a council by bringing in a resolution in parliament.
Something similar should be done currently, earliest the better, before Ajit Singhs of India smell the opportunity and bring another part of India to a standstill.
But the most devilish prediction any could make is the surge in similar demands for more states from other parts of India. Vidharbha( from Maharashtra), Harit Pradesh( from UP), Cooch Bihar( from Bengal and Assam), Bhojpur (from UP and Bihar), Mithalanchal (from Bihar), Bundelkhand( from MP and UP), Gorkhaland(from Bengal)…………list is long. It is demand of the hour of nip the bud in nascent. We can’t accept such demand at any cost though some of these do seem legitimate.
It would be better if centre brings in a resolution in parliament clearly redrawing the steps for creation of new states. Making the steps more stringent like clearly defining the minimum area, population, GDP, availability of natural resources and its ability to self sustain etc. for any new state resolution to be passed by state assemblies. A committee made of PM, Leader of Opposition, CM of state demanded to be bifurcated and CM of its neighboring states should screen any such resolution passed from state legislative assembly. If it is rejected by the screening committee, no such resolution could be brought in for, atleast, next fifty years. This committee should meet only once in two years, during CMs conclave in Delhi to save everybody’s time.
There was a time when the no. of council of ministers had become bone of contention. Horse trading was at its peak and each and every government was toppled by MLAs lured by lollypops like ministry. This menace was very well curbed by Vajpayee Govt. by limiting the maximum no. of ministers in a council by bringing in a resolution in parliament.
Something similar should be done currently, earliest the better, before Ajit Singhs of India smell the opportunity and bring another part of India to a standstill.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Distant Horizon- A Short Story
Electric….Newspaper……..Gas Cylinder…….Grocery store……..Milk……….Mehir kept shuffling the bills, threw them back on table and tried to concentrate on the serial running on TV. Renuka was late from office and Shridhar just got off on her. She first tried to calm him down, letting him know how a meeting scheduled at the far end of the day outstretched. But since he would have none of her reasons, she stormed out of the room shouting, “I run this house. I don’t sit idle in home like you all day”. Mehir’s mind was least interested in the story of Renuka and Shridhar running on TV. He switched off the TV and again pulled the bills back, calculated the total amount and took out money from Mehek’s purse.
*********************************
‘Mehir, Wake up….Its already 8:00…We would be late’ shouted Mehek. He rose from bed, cleaned himself and ran towards car. They were late, he tried to pace up the car and Mehek kept on counting how he had turned lazy these days, how he was always lost in his own thought etc. etc. He first dropped their daughter to school, then Mehek to her office and returned back home, back to the bed. He checked his mails, read newspaper, brought groceries and picked daughter from school while returning in the afternoon. Mehek returned in the evening and kept checking with Mehir if he had received any important mail, if he got any call and did he work on the plan. Frustrated he left the room and sat for hours in the reading room. There was the novel which he had purchased months ago but didn’t get time to read. It was the story of a young couple, both working, pushing their life through the labyrinth of expectations and aspirations. Misunderstandings and cracks in the relationship which had cropped in with time. Bored..he put the novel back on the shelf.
***********************************
Same routine kept repeating for days. He would wake up with no job to do, look into household chores and end up having small alterations with Mehek. Frustrated he started spending most of the time out side home…….chatting with locals and involving himself in society work which eventually landed him with a NGO working for the upliftment of the area.
************************************
“Everything happens for a good. Had I got defeated or attempted suicide after I lost my job in the recession that happened 15 years ago. I would not have been addressing you from this podium. It was a though phase……..rather a very tough phase. I too felt defeated and frustrated and trying to run away from the difficulties back home, I landed up among you. Today I understand the importance of patience, confidence and hard work. Every black cloud has a silver lining. So I would urge you all to have the nerve of steel. Road that lie ahead for you is wonderful and promising, but it will have moments of uncertainty and self doubt. Those who can steer those moments will only reach the dreams we all have. I wish you all the luck as you pass through the of rolls this great institution” said Mehir, Honourable Prime Minister of India, in his convocation address to the students of IITM, one of the premier institutes of India.
*********************************
‘Mehir, Wake up….Its already 8:00…We would be late’ shouted Mehek. He rose from bed, cleaned himself and ran towards car. They were late, he tried to pace up the car and Mehek kept on counting how he had turned lazy these days, how he was always lost in his own thought etc. etc. He first dropped their daughter to school, then Mehek to her office and returned back home, back to the bed. He checked his mails, read newspaper, brought groceries and picked daughter from school while returning in the afternoon. Mehek returned in the evening and kept checking with Mehir if he had received any important mail, if he got any call and did he work on the plan. Frustrated he left the room and sat for hours in the reading room. There was the novel which he had purchased months ago but didn’t get time to read. It was the story of a young couple, both working, pushing their life through the labyrinth of expectations and aspirations. Misunderstandings and cracks in the relationship which had cropped in with time. Bored..he put the novel back on the shelf.
***********************************
Same routine kept repeating for days. He would wake up with no job to do, look into household chores and end up having small alterations with Mehek. Frustrated he started spending most of the time out side home…….chatting with locals and involving himself in society work which eventually landed him with a NGO working for the upliftment of the area.
************************************
“Everything happens for a good. Had I got defeated or attempted suicide after I lost my job in the recession that happened 15 years ago. I would not have been addressing you from this podium. It was a though phase……..rather a very tough phase. I too felt defeated and frustrated and trying to run away from the difficulties back home, I landed up among you. Today I understand the importance of patience, confidence and hard work. Every black cloud has a silver lining. So I would urge you all to have the nerve of steel. Road that lie ahead for you is wonderful and promising, but it will have moments of uncertainty and self doubt. Those who can steer those moments will only reach the dreams we all have. I wish you all the luck as you pass through the of rolls this great institution” said Mehir, Honourable Prime Minister of India, in his convocation address to the students of IITM, one of the premier institutes of India.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Barack Obama- Dreams from my father, Book Reviewed
Just concluded reading ‘Barack Obama- Dreams from my father’. It is a good and inspiring read. I would admit this book has made a profound impact on me. I have always been a dreamy person, always dreaming about acquiring higher responsibilities, doing something for society, making others life a little better and doing my own little bit for the society etc. etc. Dreams are easy to make but when it comes to implementation everything looks difficult. I am in an age where it is ‘now or never’, either I will do it or don’t. At this juncture I read this book which made my difficulties look minuscule; Barack’s challenges were far greater than ours. If he can do it, why can’t we?
Barack Obama’s narration of his college days, his confusion about his roots and his visit to native place in Kenya is extraordinary. Overall it is a good book but I am afraid for those who have little interest in him or his ascent may not like it. It is a non fictional, autobiographical sort of book, priced around Rs. 400 in India.
*********************
Started reading “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish by Rashmi Bansal” on recommendation of Balraj, one of my closest friends. It is the inspiring stories of 25 IIMA entrepreneurs who chose to tread their own path. Balraj himself being a budding entrepreneur in Chandigarh, has recommended this book to me. Let’s see…how I feel about it…………I will keep you updated.
Barack Obama’s narration of his college days, his confusion about his roots and his visit to native place in Kenya is extraordinary. Overall it is a good book but I am afraid for those who have little interest in him or his ascent may not like it. It is a non fictional, autobiographical sort of book, priced around Rs. 400 in India.
*********************
Started reading “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish by Rashmi Bansal” on recommendation of Balraj, one of my closest friends. It is the inspiring stories of 25 IIMA entrepreneurs who chose to tread their own path. Balraj himself being a budding entrepreneur in Chandigarh, has recommended this book to me. Let’s see…how I feel about it…………I will keep you updated.
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