Disruptive Corruption!

As the uprising of the people across the India and overseas won the battle against corruption, what it means for a commoner? Everyday when you see the bus conductor not issuing (refusing) ticket for the next bus stop, when there is no bill issued for photocopies taken in college, when the repeated calls to attend the sanitary line is left to stinking - all these are fangs of corruption and heights of inordinate morals and delays calling for public accountability and being conscientious. Are not they?

We have a long go for a conscientious Indian, especially in the government sector. Every time you step into a government office, you know how the offices work, deliver things and its transparency level.  And the people mind has either ingratiated or buy things for money including jobs! If the system is totally rotten, its people who are equally blamable too!  People who do not know - what to do, lack of awareness and knowledge, whom to approach etc end up involving middlemen or paying bribes for getting the work done. The ordeals that you go through when you end up with government officials for getting a certificate issued is the most deplorable!

These should change, if this has to change, we the people should not take and give bribes, whatever may come! I stand for formative, upright and righteous nation, do you!

Developing Community Toilets

Public toilets and India

Gutan tag!

Recently, when my brother married, we all relatives went to have feast at my sister-in-law's house in a village. After learning that there is no toilet we were shocked. Then we told the aunty at the home, if there is no toilet we will never come again. I think she built the toilet, but i never visited again!  With elections round the corner, its time that we should vote for politicians who have toilets as party symbols and who constructs toilets at nook and corners of India, so to say for the swelling population!

It's big inconvenience for the general public that we don't have public toilets maintained. Once we step out of the workplace or house, with the sorry state of affairs, one like as if there is no urine bladder in the digestive system in our bodies. If pedestrian rights are denied in India, toilets are another dimension widely neglected for public. As a person i have travelled across widely on jobs and during college, toilets are the dreadful places to visit. Men everywhere holding up can be seen, on the railway tracks you can see in the morning if you are travelling people dutifully paying their respects on the tracks! There must be stringent laws that all the federal and state and private organisations\institutions should allot a portion of their land for public inconvenience, where public gather say near bus stops, circles and the workers should be well paid. These places can be best utilised, as they remain lifeless for ages, it would greatly help the passers-by who long for neat toilets. People at the toilets charge you for 1 to 2 rupees but the cleanliness of the toilets are unbearable. And whoever litter the public places should be punished.

If there is urgency to help oneself in the public places, where will people go in the absence of toilets. Although NGOs are doing their best like Sulabh International, the activism of governments on this front pathetically low. So, we should decide if our MLA\MP\ or whomsoever  build the community toilets for us, we should vote for him. With the kind of education we are offering, our children too grew up throwing wastes, and urinating everywhere. Is not it our duty to sensitise our children?

Equally responsible are both politicians and public. Get money for voting someone who will never visit again. The level of responsibility we show towards the development of country is really worrisome. Get paid and get doomed too!  Wherever we are not sensitised the backlash is to borne by us only.

HE AND SHE AND IN BETWEEN

Is there any human being or living form growing in between the he and she, as many may put you in between scorning you about your mannerism and all? If I ask this to a biologist he would shrug off: yes there are. Scientific community could go on to describe the conduct and behaviour of this group of humans. Society can prove that there are hermaphrodites and they are epicene. The world does not stop here building it up with whatever ways it can to describe this precious life – being between him and her.

Do you wonder whom I am talking about? Many a times we just despise this group mocking them without conscience for what they are. One should always understand their nature and this kind of every natural birth-simply they are humans, who cannot either digest it to themselves throughout their lives nor can reveal their feelings to others! This article does not support any bisexual practice nor approve the growing customs like civil partnership among same sex people, LGBT here. In the earlier decades by countryside, they would perform for both male and female roles in the cultural programmes throughout the night entertaining with elan, which still continues, especially in south India. Nowadays they become a group of people, who do not work anymore, but can be seen in street corners and railway sojourns asking money from others? Some countries have legalized this community and in many others they are approved. In the developed countries the people of the same sex are getting recognized and lead their lives as any normal other couple does. In India, transgender community is growing as you see them along the railways, at traffic signals and in metro cities, unfortunately are not visible in formal workplace settings. Does our society, policymakers and government recognize them, or do we ever care about why they are leading a life like this? Often they may try to be different as ordinary others are, want to learn new and experiment things but could not in many spheres of life both physically and mentally. Many a times they may feel this will be okay, as we grow older, but does the society recognize and understand as they grow along?

Whatever it takes this is neither their mistake nor the curse they are imposed! What mistake did they do to born like this? Is it their destiny or their parents’ mistakes are the questions propping up often? These God’s own people are the voices who are hardly heard, often exploited and never treated with dignity as individuals as they are. As a person every individual has the right to lead life with dignity and his\her individuality is unique in this universe. If we agree to this, let us accept them instead of passing lewd comments and abusing them. If we think we are macho men and beautiful women let us don’t take pride at scorning others about their behaviour and conduct. We should try to learn and be sensitized on this, instead of throwing hurting remarks and stigmatizing them.

And for the people who are challenged this is the message: never get let down by these scorners. See the people around you, there are people who lead their lives with integrity and peace in spite of entangled problems, deformities, mental and physical challenges. If you ask yourself often, why did I born, you should meet these privileged people and interact with them. Life is full of reckoning and has so much of surprises in store for you. Never ever allow these things let down your spirit. You are special in this world, and are born to win.

In the evolving society, if they are not supported and understood, when are we going to appreciate and inspire them? When will we lessen the trauma that they are undergoing? Psychologically, as many of us would have studied the approach towards the afflicted people should be first to understand their nature not what they become, but how they born with inherent natural qualities. They need our warmth and love, let us never hurt them, even if we cannot help them. But causing pain is worse, no matter if we are not helping them.

Super - Movie Review

Having much on my plate to work, I dared to spend a little amount of time off the routines last weekend. To my surprise, the whole theater was full to catch up with happening Kannada movie - 'Super' directed by Mr. Upendra. I overheard that he has directed this movie after a brief hiatus. 

Barring the interrupting songs, which is part and parcel of Indian cinema, the movie was racy, with the struggles India faced for independence. Comedians have tickled the bones often to laugh out. After a 9 months stay at IT city of India, this is my first out with a Kannada cinema. How many similarities do Kannada have with other Dravidian and national languages, but much of the disharmony, language politics, and regionalism are due to the current politics, playing in spoiling the harmony, we ought to have.

Well, lets get back to the highlights. Amid the romantic, and hyped up run-of- the-mill movies, i liked the movie, specially for the below:

1. Plastosphere: Anywhere, everywhere and anyhow plastic worlds of urban India. With no strategic plan by municipalities, plastics are free to watch everywhere. Let wait for few more years, no wonder we will have plastosphere. Really soring, huh!
2. Corruption: . Today, to get the work done in India, we have cough up bucks, right from childbirth to the end. When there will the transparency in government delivery machinery?
3. Laxity and No Accountability: The message was lucid and clearly said, no one cares for other, and society. If all of us, don't raise to the occasion, we have to imagine, how pathetic we will be!

Thanks for this movie!

At the Crossroads of Divisive Politics

How divisive we are yaar at politics? Having a multiparty system at the helm of affairs is good, but fighting at each other resulting in not-so fruitful results is a worrisome trend in India. I always wondered when will we have a 2 party system or parties at regional level but efficient machineries in delivery of citizen services. Mr. Jahan Mohan Reddy has split up in Andhra Pradesh; in Tamil Nadu actors Mr. Sarath Kumar and Vijaya Kanth have found their own parties. If everybody goes off founding parties, are we partitioning our India with divisive ideologies and manifestos, of which many failed at the political boxes in delivery. Even, many these so-called luminaries are starting off their television channels, often biased views with no public intentions in mind. OMG, when this will change. Right from municipalities to state governments have been successively failing to deliver common services in basic areas -education, health care, public libraries and environment protection etc., In the light of above, if each leader dissent and founds a new party, when will we achieve the most ruminated topic in our politics "inclusive growth" at least before we die! Each political party goes to erect its flagpoles and hoisting its own flags, how many parties we have got, unnecessarily. This is just the height of indifferences we have that is the root cause, so to say! You know, we have been very good at pulling each others leg at the cost of not allowing to grow for a healthier tomorrow. Many people who are in the politics switch over the loyalties during their stints between major parties, what saddening is they dissent a found new party.

National Librarians' Day

Dear Friends,

August 12th is being celebrated as National Librarians' Day in India, in remembrance of national professor of library science, Padmashree Dr S R Ranganathan (1892-1972), who had spearheaded library development in India.

I request you friends out there, if you are associated with any library in your region; be it public library or academic library, pay a visit to the library and appreciate the library professionals and their service to the emerging society in national development. If we support and recognize the public service organizations like libraries, we have more opportunities to affirm that libraries are change agents in educating the citizens in public life.  In India, lot is to be accomplished, your appreciation and motivation of library services will go a long way to make awareness about the library services to reach the unreached.

In 2020, India is expected to have 574 million youngsters. There is a huge task ahead for librarians to cultivate the reading habit among them. Illiteracy, poverty and lack of access to education in still more prevalent among the semi-urban and rural areas in India. While the successive governments and department of culture have neglected the library development, librarians and struggling their way to create the awareness of reading habit among the general public with limited resources. It is strongly believed that the coming days will change the face of libraries as ICT and social media are a big boost to learning and education.

This small token of yours will help all the librarians and information professionals to keep good morale of their service, realize their mission and strive hard to reach out more masses in our country in the process of shaping our tomorrow's leaders through learning and in national development.

Remember librarians work for you throughout the year, won't you spare sometime to appreciate them on this occasion? Do you stand with me? Will you step out to acknowledge your librarians?

Read to lead.

Thank you.

Do you Value Other?

Valuing the others

I think, this is one of the must topic we must discuss about in our contemporary society. Often times, we have noticed at our workplaces, complain among the friends circle that we often miss the habit of valuing and complementing each other. We would go out of our way to help others, but they would never turn around.

I was attending a interview for a teaching post at a state run university in South India.  When my turn came to face the panel, i stepped in the room, greeted everyone. Minutes later, the head of the institution said, i can get out, there is a spelling mistake of my name on the corresponding community certificates. Is having a misspelt name endorses me even not to give attention as a human? Is it not the duty of the government staff to proofread before  issuing certificates?  I was shocked to hear i was not even acknowledged for what i am, leave alone my degrees, experience etc. After traveling a 24 hours journey, to attend this interview, if you get such a response like this from an higher official who is supposed to embody the learning and inspiring the education ... how would you feel?  At that moment, i felt like i am in hell.  I know, many of the fellow Indians, would share a similar stories in thousand!  Please do not ask me, who was qualified, appointed for the post for the god's sake! I somehow do not understand where the society is heading!  If you ask something or enquire, we know we would not get proper answers from the concerned officials.  Of course, it was mistake on my part, that i did not verify the certificate, before collecting it. I learned my lesson on that day.

The issue with my certificate is my name was misspelt. I don't know what kind of people we have at our taluk or revenue offices in India; after verifying all the evidences, if they are not able to give a certificate in a neat manner, do they really deliver value to the customer. General public is at the receiving end because of these failing bureaucracy and inefficient government servants!  God only knows when these government servants in India will deliver value! Is there anyway these people can be trained?

We often not even recognize others for what they are!  We have to learn a much about this, valuing others, their relationship and being. This quality will ensure that all the individuals in India are respected, enriched and cherished. I believe this is such a good quality, we Indians should be participated, encouraged and inculcated.  If each person, goes on to respect other, ultimately society would be more civilized in sorting out all the issues prevalent among us and lead to a transparent, accountable society and citizenry.


Do you value this hearing me!!!

Breathe Life into Social Sciences

Recently, attended a state commission exam in June, 2010.  I don't understand why our educators and policy makers don't think to enable or empower us to learn, which is our right.  The kind of questions they ask in the exams are damn outdated, have nothing to do with real-time applications in the day to day work, and of no use for the changing times or simply archaic. 

You know, what kind of questions they are setting:

• number of methods say number of methods in interviewing respondents in research
• the conference year or when an event took place etc.
• an interdisciplinary subject, which is completely detached in the core subject and never taught.

Though, we are not against the novel research methods postulated by pioneers, but let us learn and apply that for creating a value in a commoner life, in a field like libraries. When a patron does not have access to government information, being victimized or remain illiterate for years what the hell this 'year' or 'event' will help in attending to the need?  Either you should support what the methods proposed by the eminent people, who felt long back that the things will change in India or at least you should facilitate in using those methods for a practical  purpose and implement it for a cause, that would benefit the society at large. Come on, wake up?

Do you feel you have any application or practicality of these questions in a learner's or aspirant life in real world or for the society's sake or for a common good?  Furthermore, while there is lot be done in improving the prevailing conditions of public life, why do our government, bureaucracy and  educators do not realize that they are supposed to breathe life into the social sciences and Humanities education in India. Often times, i feel that did i chosen a wrong field in my life that the sector i am belonging to is paying me richly to mug up years, happenings and event!  Nevertheless, while majority of us don't have the opportunity to learn and implement the change, our workplace environment hardly helps in acquiring the skills in - general management, communication, comprehension skills, reasoning and quantitative aptitude, while our educators are bent on cramming the theory on the learners and we unfortunately end up in rote learning!

When will it stand a chance that the social sciences and humanities in India will breathe life! Will my Social Sciences and Humanities goodness me?

Are We United?

I completed the "2 States: the story of my marriage" novel just now.  It's a beautiful account of a lover to bear with everything - parents, relatives, and job to win his ladylove, who hails from a different community. A vivid narrative of the contrasting cultures of north and south India, the characters are neatly portrayed with humorous interplay. There are couple of things this story highlights for the contemporary modern India.

• Inter-community development: developing the thousands of communities across india, is a huge task lying ahead of us. Strengthening the interfaith among various castes, building societies towards tolerance, and valuing of each other and endurance etc.  We hear about honor killings, khap pachayats, community clashes often in media.  When will this end and is there a way-out?
• Holding values of multicultural & multilingual society: appreciate the very existence of multicultural and multilingual society, the very faith that will lead to co-existence of different communities amicably. 
• Standing united: today it demands more than before that we stay united. Terrorism, threat to internal security, agitations, pose greater challenges to our nation on the sovereignty of our nation. The solutions to all these issues would be an better understanding of each other, and learning to appreciate, motivate to adding values for each other.

I firmly hope that you too vouch for a CHANGING INDIA. Ain't you?