Do we need another Mahatma?

Do we need another Mahatma?

Anna Hazare joined his protesting team at the Jantar Mantar on Sunday, beginning his fast for a strong Lokpal Bill. The proposed bill heavily regarded a weapon to weed out corruption from our country. The crowds are expected to be strong, but on the contrary, despite much campaigning, the crowds this year have been thin at Anna’s protest.  But, this could not be seen as an indicator of diminishing support for Anna and his anti-corruption movement. But, I believe, it could be an indicator of the diminishing support to the ways of Anna’s protest. This movement has been described primarily a middle-class movement but the absence of middle class from the scene sparks a much needed debate as,

Does India need another Mahatma?

For generation, Mahatma Gandhi has been the symbol of our country. A lean old man with a stick on his hand and a cloth drapped around him, won India its freedom- freedom from bondage, slavery, imperialism. For many decades, British ruled over India. The country and its countrymen were brutalized, made slave, ruined and dictated by the British. Gandhi, came as a beacon for hope, to showed the spirit of glory and independence to Indians, who were sleeping and being ostracized by the ruling British. He knew that independence will not be attaining until people are made aware of their rights to live independent. He knew that, India will not match upto the might of British and thus, independence will not be attain with sword but generating a new form of weapon- satyagrah. His speeches encouraged people, both literates and illiterates. He gathered support, influenced people of the country and made them came out of sleep and fight for the rights.

65 years hence independence, India is no longer a sleeping giants. The country is vibrant and economically mightier. It has not been sleeping but quite awake. The problems are aplenty, mostly created by its people. Rampant Corruption, poverty, cultural differences, Gender inequality, riots, rape, murder and the list goes on. These are just a few problems facing India Today. Life in certain parts of India is nothing but absolute poverty with little hope of survival in the near future. Good education is the key to economic improvement yet India is lacking this essential key.

What do you think? Who is responsible? How can India overcome some of these problems? Do we need a leader who goes on fast or a leader who speak up?

I have nothing against Anna and its team. At least, they have started a movement. What really bothers me is their lack of understanding of human nature. We have the tendency to forget everything as soon as it over. Sitting idle and doing fast once in a blue moon would no longer going to evaporate corruption from our country. Corruption has gradually sneaked into the blood and soul of our nation and its system, and to remove it from there, we need a leader who go inside the system, make changes, make authority accountable and set an example and thus, I believe, fasting is not going to help instead, what we need is action.

 For example, Satyemev Jayete, the much acclaimed TV serials on human plight garnered huge support from people across nation. Amir Khan, not only spoke about the rampant issues plaguing the country, but also made sure to take the matter to higher authorities and made them accountable for action and remedies. Small, but significant changes were made and, actions were taken. We need more Amir Khan, who speaks, work and make sure that actions are taken. I believe, team Anna should form a national party, choose candidates from across nation among different back ground, and work from grass root level, if they want to bring real change. Merely sitting on fast would not solve any problems. Across the world, changes are being brought by people, who actively enter into the system and spoke out with a clear mindset and India should not be an exception. 

How many of you agree?

Doga'rail

While sipping a hot coffee in my balcony and soaking in the fantastic weather, I witness a normal phenomenon as dogs chasing dogs. What made me wonder and provoked me to write over it was something we witness everyday in our life. The dog chased, was the one which roam (and sometime bite too) on the street facing my home and the dogs chasing were those which roam (and sometime bite too) on the street opposite my house and two more dogs (from another street watching closely what happening). Frankly, there is no street in India where you don’t find a dog and something like this is a frequent affairs but we never happens to dwell over it so much. Immediately, I recollected all the dogs and street they occupy in my colony.( yes, this is something which I or for that matter anyone visiting the streets look while crossing as these dogs bite local more than the stranger and thus I remember them more than my next door neighbor. Sad but true and yes this is also a normal phenomenonJ). They have occupied the street on the basis of numbers and power they enjoy on that particular street.

Now, what is so unique about it? Why dogs chasing dogs become so relevant. If you dwell over it, you would find that the same dogs chasing dogs happens every day around us. The dogs opposite my street were chasing the dog from my front facing street as they would not let any new competitor to enter into their space and share the pie( as they are the strong force in their respective street). If you dwell more, you would realize that they wanted to be whole and sole in their area of space and they would not welcome any one else which could pose a threat to their monopoly or complete authority. They wanted to prove that it is either our or none. If you relate this to any sphere of life and compare what’s happening around us, you would find the same phenomenon.

For example, compare this phenomenon to what has been going on in the country over the so called Lokpal Bill and you would be surprised to know that same dogs chasing dogs (pardon me for using the word dogs for our parliamentarian, at least they are chasing somethingJ) happening for so long and we, the whole nation (the dogs from another street waiting to do the same if something similar ever happens to our street) awaiting with open breath. When Anna Hazare launched his ‘ Fast unto Death’ to pass the Lokpal Bill, the whole nation shown its solidarity despite the fact that majority of people were unaware of what Lokpal bill was and supported the cause simply because it is something which would remove corruption from our country. After ten days of fast, government finally promised to pass the bill in winter session of parliament with some changes and thus started the phenomenon of dogs chasing dogs. Teams of eminent people were formed and suggested the rights and wrongs and a final draft was formed and tabled in parliament but no bill was passed. Reason, the opposition, the government and the Anna team were resolute on their respective street as they hold power on respective space and not allowing one another to interfere and share the tag of one who made a solid bill for the eradication of corruption from the country. They have been fighting for the complete authority over the tag of one who made this bill to become a law. They forgot the simple fact that their obduracy could jeopardize the whole objective of Lokpal and the fact that a strong Lokpal is only possible when they would come to the table with open mind that they really want corruption to go and be flexible and open in their objective. This is now more a battle for ego clash among the teams rather than a pure effort to form a strong and operational Bill. The battle is now converted into gaining supremacy. Second reason, LACK OF TRUST, yes we have lost the only common binding force in our life mainly to appease our falls ego.

Now relate this phenomenon to our daily life. We, the human being are also running for this absolute power. Anywhere, in our life, in office, in society, friendship, relationship we are like chasing one another for that elusive space. We do not want that anyone else enter into this elusive space and share the pie. In corporate world, people have formed team based on false whims and fancies and running after one another trying to outdo other for this elusive space. Relationship has been broken so easily based on falls ego. The attitude of keeping our own home safe in case of fire, the attitude of making oneself above the other, the attitude of ignoring something bad happening to other and thinking that its none of my business as long as it does not happen to us and the attitude of keeping ME first than WE, would ably relate to the story of dogs chasing dogs. This is happening simply because we have lost that common binding factor and that is TRUST and attitude of come what may, I will not allow you to enter into my space and I believe this is the biggest and heaviest menace or a form of corruption in the country and needs immediate attention. As street dogs are a common sight on Indian roads for time immemorial, so does the corruption. People have been trying to remove both for a long time and this is possible not by a bill but by a genuine will.

Life is a password!!!

I had no option but to call customer care executive when many attempts of mine to unlock my mobile failed as I had forgotten the long time password which I had created and never used but somehow my mobile went into locking mood. I felt a shy of relief when they provide me a mother password to unlock it and thus it made me realized how our life had gradually becoming mechanized. I promptly memorize many passwords that I have created to unlock almost every movement of my life and safeguard it with a mother password but the question remain is what would happen if I forget this one too?

We were arrived on this planet as a free bird, sans any password. We never require a unique key to take breath or to grow on this planet but the pace at which password is playing a role in our day to day lives, I believe the day is not far when to inhale fresh air, we need to first unlock our nose, take daily quota of fresh air and then sealed it with a unique password so that nobody could steal it. The thought may look crazy but if you look at our lives a little carefully, you would understand the intensity of this thought process.

As a normal individual, we have to fight with many demons in our day to day lives. The first and foremost demon is to survive in this cut throat competitive environment and moreover, with the prospects that someone else is knocking at the door if we are not going to withstand the competition. The routine struggle in the maddening traffic, the ever extending working hours and shrinking family lives, the mundane work, peer pressure and many others commitment to fulfill have all added to the list and the new entrant in this honor club is the many password that have eventually becoming the biggest demon of all. The ever changing fast lives have resulted many technological wonders to ease the slow dying process of human body but have resulted an additional burden on the human mind. Right from the morning while opening the mundane computer set to going into the bed at night, our lives revolve around with some kind of password. The technological advancement has made our lives a bit less tiresome as it has provided us the freedom to do most of the work right at sitting in front of our computer set. It is no longer waiting in a queue to fill up the form for a bank account, to transfer money from one place to another, to get information on our account and for many other mundane works. It has helped in saving a lot of precious time but has brought with it some kind of unique identification number to unlock it and with it an additional burden to human mind. Some time back while shifting to a new company I have been given an additional five password along with an increase of pay slip. The passwords will cater to my routine check of salary account, laptop opening, and appraisal form and to fill in the routine code of conduct and all. It has added to my already existing list of almost ten other passwords.

The matter got even more complex when I had been asked to put my car number and one key identification number in a vending machine while entering into an upscale five star hotel and had been told to remember it while going out of the hotel as a tight security system. Without re-putting the same in the exit vending machine, I would not be allowed to exit from the premises. What if in all the while at the hotel in some kind of party and gatherings I forget to remember the unique identification number? One day while entering into my daily gym session I have been told to put my finger printing and one key number again to open the gate as per the new security measure adopted by the gym owners. I had to politely accept one more password for my movement to the gym and thus the list of password added into my already burdened mind.

While venting my anguish over repeated failure of mine in memorizing all passwords, a friend of mine suggested having one password for all my account in life. We ponder over the matter and concluded that having one password for all our movement could be a disaster if somebody hacked it to a disadvantage. He again suggested writing all the passwords in one file and keeps it safe moreover locking it with a mother password. The idea seemed to be reasonable but the whole point of my writing this stuffs is do we really need so many identification number to unlock many wonders of life?

Aren’t we becoming slaves to so many numbers? Can’t we have an easy access to our lives sans any password or identification number? And if it’s not possible, then why can’t we have a password for all our ills? Why can’t we unlock all our evil inside us and lock it with a password? Why can’t we have an identification number as a panacea for all our problems? Just put this number and unlock to a world free of all difficulties and problems.

Thousands and thousand years ago, when god has created this world, HE had not locked it with any password. It has been created as a single entity and for everyone to co-exist as human beings. As men started to progress, they gradually started making boundaries as per the whims and fancies of their personal interest. Many continents and even more countries are made and divided with boundaries and to enter into each other’s territories, you need to have prior permission. With the progress of mankind, these boundaries have further divided by many walls and access is always restricted to the owner’s permission. As we are approaching the scientific age, I wonders, these boundaries and walls will cease to exist and people will be divided by a mere unique identification number and access will purely depends on the owners. There will be a password for every relationship. If you want access to your friend’s lives and have a few moments with them, you will be asked to log in and put an identification number before you could meet them. You would laugh, weep, cry, play, eat, dance and be with yourself by just loging in into the screen of life and that too by a unique password!!!