Against All Odds

Blog Shift

2009-09-22T10:24:00.001+05:30

This blog has been shifted to http://fightfornewworld.wordpress.com/

Thanks for your visit!

OUR World

2009-08-31T14:59:00.006+05:30

Can there be...

Can there be no progress without pillage?
Can there be no development without slaughter?
Can there be no news without propaganda?

Can there be no jobs without exploitation?
Can there be no sale without deceiving?

Can there be no food without profit?
Can there be no children without hunger?

Can there be no humans without greed?
Can there be no cities without rulers?
Can there be no world without misery?

Yes, there can be…
Of course

There can be equality and dignity for all
And rice also…

One day,

There will be love for people, not for things
There will be love for society, not for possessions

And one day, there will be a new world…

Jung-istan

2009-06-11T16:17:00.009+05:30

The attacks in Mumbai were harrowing. Add to this the recent outrage in Gaza Strip. Terrorism is an imperative threat to mankind.

Be it the Hitler’s war on Jews or the American occupation of Palestine, Iraq and Latin ; be it the trouble in Afghanistan and Pakistan or be it ‘War on Terrorism’ itself; be it the Police shooting at innocent children and men in tribal regions of India or the army raping their (tribal) women; be it the attack on our Parliament or be it the bombings of cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Malegaon… the list just ceases to end; all claim innocent lives.

We must realize the significance of understanding the logic behind these ‘wars’, or else we are certain to fall prey to the deceptive propaganda laid out to drag us away from the real motives behind such brutal massacres.

All these wars are related to each other in some way or the other. Around 70% of America’s economy is war based / dependent. And so, America is obligated to sell off its bombs and choppers for its development. Clearly the common man doesn’t buy them.

So whom does America sell its weapons?

American officials have repeatedly admitted that ‘America needs enemies to survive, real or virtual…!’ And hence the Vietnam, Korea, Bolivia and Gulf Wars.

There is one more way by which America has egged on its weapon business. It has perpetually supported various militant organizations like Taliban and Al-Qaida. Where else do these terrorist outfits get their ‘state of the art’ weapons from?

Secondly, although America never admits it, but its economy has been in a terrible recession since long. For the last two decades, the best that it has managed is a growth of around 5%. Its Goliath MNCs have been ravenous for new markets. That’s the reason why America is always hell bent on forcing the third world countries to ‘open’ their economies for American companies (they force one-sided trade). But the third world countries realize the danger of doing that, and hence resist; Cuba and Venezuela being classic examples.

Most importantly, America has its eye on the vast oil reserves in the Gulf and in Latin America. And so it has always tried to establish military bases in countries of such strategic importance. But these countries have just not let America prevail.

These happen to be the major reasons of America waging or financing endless wars.

Humans cost less than dollars!

And to do all this, America needs to portray ‘somebody’ as the 'world enemy'. Probably that explains why is it that ‘Not all Terrorists are Muslims, BUT all Muslims are Terrorists’. So in the most sincere efforts to save the world from these ‘traitors’, America wages ‘War on Terror’, err ‘War on Muslims’!

The result, countless bomb and war victims in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere continue to roam around homeless, jobless, foodless and without medical attention. I ask you if this happens to you, would you ever protest and hit back to culminate this injustice, or would you choose to die a spineless and shameful death?

And when people start fighting for their rights, they are labeled as ‘terrorists’. We have striking examples to this in India as well. Some forces identify Bhagat Singh as a terrorist, don’t they? Film maker Ajay T G and maseeha Dr Binayak Sen is termed a Naxalite.

Even our media has joined hands with the swindlers. We read and see all sorts of stories about Muslims engaged in terror activities all over the globe. Why don’t we ever see even a glimpse of American atrocities in Africa, Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Asia? It’s easy to guess. The entire Indian media industry ‘buys news’ from the American and European media giants. Would they ever discuss their atrocities?

While analyzing the recent attacks in Mumbai, we conveniently put the blame on Pakistan. However, we can not afford to disregard the fact that even Pakistan has been subject to similar instances of terrorism. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. There have been countless suicide bombers creating menace all over in Pakistan. Even their five star hotels have been attacked repeatedly.

As a matter of fact, terrorism has very little to do with the culprits belonging to a certain religion, country or race. Terrorism rises from injustice and the prevalent Economic System. It's always the poor and unemployed who actually take part in such doings. Kasab was a poor worker’s son, not able to find a job! The ruling forces take advantage of this helplessness to ‘mould’ them into the beasts they become.

Fellow citizens, in tough times like these, teaming up to understand and wipe out the roots of terrorism seems to be the only rational step towards ensuring a peaceful and ‘livable’ world for us and our future generations. We need to recognize our role in fostering our society.

When the Protector becomes the Predator...

2009-05-11T12:07:00.018+05:30

The Indian Army catchphrase "Do you have it in you?" used to fill my heart with all the josh and patriotism in the world. Not any more! Check this...

What Indian Army has done in the state of Manipur in the last 50 years is worse than what Modi did in Gujarat.

There is something known as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, better known as AFSPA. This is one of the most draconian pieces of legislature in Indian history, which states that in any area that is proclaimed as "disturbed", an officer of the armed forces has powers to:

Fire upon or use other kinds of force even if it causes death
To arrest without a warrant and with the use of "necessary" force anyone who has committed certain offences or is suspected of having done so
To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests

What's more, there can be no prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone (officer / jawan) acting under that law. Nor is the government's judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed subject to judicial review.

And that is precisely what has happened in Manipur. Incidents of false encounters, custodial deaths, youths disappearing, young women being raped and killed are a common phenomenon.

Mister Prime Minister, Manipur is not 'DISTURBED'. It is 'BEING DISTURBED'. Consciously! On Purpose! And the Indian Army is the worst terror outfit a common Manipuri can think of!

Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee says the Act is a "symbol of oppression, instrument of high-handedness. But GoI has turned a deaf ear.

Many human rights activists have also demanded abolition of this brutal Act. Sharmila Irom is an icon of the struggle to dismantle AFSPA. She has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Nov 2000.

8.5 years is a long time...

She has been kept on alive on forced-feeding by the state. Her only demand - Repeal AFSPA.

Sharmila, you are not alone. We stand by you in your struggle for justice!

Fascist Incarceration of Dr Binayak Sen must End Immediately

2009-05-07T17:42:00.017+05:30

Enough is enough! It is 2 years now!

Chattisgarh government has failed to prove any of its accusations (obviously fabricated) against Dr Binayak Sen. He has been accused of being a Naxalite, incarcerated and denied a bail repeatedly. 22 Nobel laureates and eminent intellectuals like Noam Chosky and Arundhati Roy have demanded immediate release of Dr Binayak Sen. Yet Indian government is not concerned. We ask, why?

Dr Binayak Sen completed his medical studies from a reputed college in Vellore, and later chose to lead a selfless life serving poor tribals in Chattisgarh. But he is not just a good hearted doctor. Dr Binayak Sen is a staunch human rights crusader. He was always critical of the state-sponsored terror in the name of Salwa Judum and strove to expose police atrocities on innocent tribals, which triggered his arrest.

In essence, Dr Sen was arrested because he was speaking the truth! He was arrested because he was fighting discrimination and unfairness.

In our country, people who raise voice against injustice are shown the gallows!

Is this Democracy?

Govt should BAN Bt Brinjal

2009-04-22T12:00:00.002+05:30

The government decision to permit testing on Bt Brinjal is indeed unacceptable. It’s high time we should start learning from past mistakes. Bt Cotton, in spite of being promoted as farmer-friendly, has been a major contributor to the colossal farmer suicides in our country.

It is an established fact that Genetically Modified (GM) food is fatal for all life forms. Bt Brinjal has tested alarmingly negative on rats. The ill-effects are claimed to be observed in the second and third generations.

Promoters of GM crop seeds claim it to be a variety that requires less water and is pest-resistant. All these claims have already been proved fictitious by Bt Cotton!

Can government provide a justification for introducing artificial crops in agriculture when we don’t face any crisis, especially in case of Brinjals? Also, we have developed many organic approaches to fight pests.

The TRUE Women's Day

2009-04-22T11:55:00.004+05:30

Every 8th March, we advocate for having a Men’s Day. The rationale being, that even men deserve a day for being pampered. The fact, however, remains that Women’s Day is NOT celebrated to pamper women. Necessarily, it portrays an impressive history of the courageous struggles led by women in the past.

We live in a highly advanced society today where few know of women facing any kind of suppression. Words like Women’s Rights and Liberation do not astound us today, which unfortunately used to be deemed as being ridiculous till a few decades back!

Inherently, our society has been awfully patriarchic for ages. And the rights that women enjoy today have not come easily. They are fruits of the passionate struggles led by women in all parts of the world during the last century.

Women’s struggles have played another significant role in the forming of the society that we live in today. For instance, the concept of overtime was simply absent, say, 100 years back, when people were made to work ruthlessly for 16 hours in a day! The 8-hours-work-a-day policy was a direct outcome of the constant struggles led by workers all over the world. And women were an integral part of this struggle too.

Today we remember and embrace 8th March as a symbol of such struggles. 8th March is by no stretch of imagination a day for pampering women, and hence the question of celebrating a Men’s Day is bizarre! We must view these days as significant milestones in the history of mankind. And hence we must take inspiration from the struggles of our ancestors.

Global WarNing

2009-04-22T11:52:00.001+05:30

India aspires to be a Global Power by 2020. Given the current economic and terrorism crisis, there is no doubt that this vision has been punctured significantly.

This aside, there is one more thing which needs immediate attention. And that is the debacle of Global Warming. It is well established that Global Warming has struck Australia and America. Struck them hard! These countries happen to be world leaders in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

Lately, Australia has witnessed its hottest days of all times. Hottest months, to say the truth. The recent forest fire, which devastated thousands of families, stands an excellent testimony to this fact.

California is another victim. In recent years, it has experienced severe desertification of cultivable land, resulting in some of the worst droughts in its history.

It is high time we should start taking Global Warming seriously. Experts claim that if the world doesn’t check Carbon and Methane emissions in the next 10 years, things will move out of humanities reach!

People, Wake Up!

Dow ko Bhagao!

2009-04-22T11:34:00.004+05:30

This refers to ‘Dow Fire – A Mindless Act’, Pune Mirror, TOI, dated 27 July ’08. The setting of Dow Chemicals’ plant on fire was indeed sad. But let’s also try and analyze the true situation.

Unlike NCL & UICT, Dow is one of the world’s most notorious chemical companies, with an appalling 100 year history of producing world’s most toxic CHEMICAL WEAPONS and pesticides. Thanks to Dow Chemicals, even today, the effects of Agent Orange & Napalm Bomb stand testimony to the havoc created in countries right from Vietnam to Iraq, wherever US has waged wars.

Also, there is always added danger from such research units since these try out and test new chemicals, obviously toxic! Think about the pollution of the nearby Indrayini River, which flows all the way up to Pandarpur.

Furthermore, if Dow claims not to intoxicate the vicinity, why doesn’t it reveal its Project Report, which is a public document by Indian Law!

Besides, Union Carbide (now taken over by Dow Chemicals), functioned on exactly similar lines and was downright responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The question is, “Is Pune ready for a Pune Gas Tragedy?”

Kill the Cartels

2009-04-22T11:30:00.001+05:30

Who has not been affected by the current price catastrophe? Why do politicians deceive people by saying that the current rise in prices is due to shortage?

Why does our honorable agriculture minister provoke North Indians against South Indians saying that the current rise in prices is due to South Indians consuming too much wheat & the North Indians consuming too much rice?

Why does Bush blame Indian middle class for the international hike in prices?

Why doesn’t the true picture come out?

This distressing inflation actually is not due to scarcity of goods, but is a comprehensible result of cartels becoming more and more active by the day. When five or six major corporations or dealers, who control 60-70 % of the market share, come together, they fix on the prices at will. Classic example to this is the Cement Manufacturers Association, which was the master mind behind the recent cement price escalations.

Why does the government give in to pressure from private players who flourish at the cost of common man’s blood?

Ab BUS

2008-04-05T08:18:00.012+05:30

"Public Transport Sucks"

"Public Transport is Not Efficient"

"Buses are in Bad Shape"

"Buses Occupy too much Space"

"Bad Buses are the Root Cause of Pollution and Traffic Congestion in our City"

"Drivers and Conductors are the Rudest People Alive"

"Bus Services should be Privatized"

All of us are fed up! We are fed up of waiting for buses. We are fed up of driving for hours together in the horrifying traffic that we have to bear with.

Since I stay in Pune, I shall limit my discussion to Pune. But out of common sense, we can understand that the same logic stands true for any city. Here are a few facts --

Close to 800 Private Vehicles (this includes 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers) get registered with Pune RTO every day.

Pune has a shocking 1200 buses to a requirement of 2500 buses.

People are bound to buy their own vehicles in the absence of a robust Public Transport system. And it’s easy to realize now that most of the chaos on roads is created by private vehicles, especially cars.

90% of these cars carry just a single person. Roads are a public property and all the people have an equal right to use it. Does a single person require so much space to commute?
Building flyovers is just a temporary workaround! And by the time a flyover comes up, it’s already too late as traffic increases way beyond the flyover can handle. Classic examples are the University Road & Hadapsar flyovers.

No flyover can sustain traffic for a long time. It simply redirects traffic from one busy square to the next. And, soon we require new flyovers in the vicinity.

A smarter solution is improving public transport. Why don’t we follow Belgium’s model of FREE & EFFICIENT public transport for all? This will reduce traffic many fold as an army of 30-40 private vehicles will be replaced by a single bus. It’s the best way to reduce traffic jams, pollution & accidents on roads. And this way we can fight Global Warming and reduce dependence on imported oil as well.

Uncle Raj, Why is there Unemployment in your Maharashtra?

2008-02-29T17:06:00.012+05:30

Mr Raj made a very interesting point recently, saying that North Indians are utter nuisance to the Maharashtrian community as they are giving their Marathi counterparts a run for their money. They are eating up all job opportunities, leaving a huge number of Maharashtrians unemployed.

Are you trying to say that Marathi people are incompetent? I don't think so. North Indians don't think so... By common sense, if North Indians are a mess in Maharashtra, so are Marathis in North India! In that case, lets drive out Marathi people from the North. Is that how you guys want to play politics for your votes?

I want to ask another basic question. Instead of fretting over who gets what jobs in Maharashtra, why don't we talk about the number and kind of jobs available in the state?

Lets say Maharashtra has 100 jobs, out of which North Indians ate up 70, depriving the locals of their livelihood. Let's consider for a while that there were no North Indians in the line up and all 100 jobs went to Marathi people. But still there are 200 jobless Marathis (coz there are 300 Marathis seeking jobs)! Isn't that the actual situation? My question is that if there are no North Indians in the state, why are 200 people still unemployed?

We must try to look through this propaganda and raise more important questions. Questions like, "Why are there so less jobs in Maharashtra? Why are there no jobs in the North? (else, why would North Indians come all the way to Maharashtra, leaving their homes and families?)

I ask Mr Raj, "Why is there such widespread employment in Maharashtra?"

Oh, I get it now! That must be because of the Christians or South Indians! No no, it has to be those Muslims again, right Uncle Raj? Lets bombard Muslims now. But, that's the BJP strategy, lets leave it to them! Well, then we are left only with the South Indians, but even that episode is over, thanks to Bal Ji. I think the best option would be to come up with some more innovative ways to distinguish among people and make them fight. Atleast that would serve the purpose for some while, right?

What we don't realize is the kind of impact and hatred it inculcates in the common man. And not only men, in children as well. I happened to talk to a few children in a slum in Pune, and guess what they had to say about North Indians. "Ye North Indians ko laat mar ke bhaga dena chahiye Maharashtra se! Unke wajah se humein naukari nahi milti!"

These are kids in 6th and 7th standard. So from the age of 11-12 yrs, we are training our next generation youth to fight against each other. Who says, India is not developing?

The myth called 'Globalization'

2008-01-09T23:25:00.000+05:30

If I tell you that I have a vacant flat and I want you to move in for free! You would never believe me, right? You have a critical stand here. Then why should you believe without investigation that Globalization is the answer to all problems in India? As a matter of fact, it is not. Confused?

As we know, Capitalism is the science of earning profit. How do you think a business man would increase his profit? Well, he has 2 options, either increase the SP or reduce the CP. The first option is not so smart as he would be beaten by his competitors. So he needs to somehow reduce the Cost of Manufacture, right? How do you think that is possible?

The easiest way is to kick out some people and make the others work harder. That's how you will have to pay less workers. There you go. The cost of manufacture has come down! So Capitalism promotes unemployment inherently.

What do you think Globalization is? Is it not foreign goods, money, technology coming to India and vice-versa? Now, when foreign multinationals come to India, they drive a lot of small Indian companies in their respective sectors out of the market, as they can't compete with the huge multinational monopolies. How many unemployed? The MNCs give employment to a handful of people and claim to have turned around the situation for developing countries.

Moreover, most of the people these MNCs hire are experienced who want to shift from their previous jobs. So fresh employment is not substancial. In reality, the net employment created by the foreign companies under Globalization is awfully negative.

These huge multinational monopolies have plethoric money and hence they advertise insanely, which our domestic companies can never afford. The MNCs first kill them and then instigate a propaganda which makes us really believe that Globalization is the best thing ever happened to India. Where is your critical stand?

How about an Aptitude Test for our Netas

2007-09-28T07:35:00.000+05:30

Haha... That might sound ridiculous because we, the citizens of free India have formed a habit of eschewing whenever it comes to Politics.

Jokes apart, I strongly feel that if the corporate sector commends Aptitude Tests, its for a reason. And the reason is to manage a business or an industry, special qualitative, quantitative and other skills (you know that better) are required.

The big idea is that if to manage a small business we require skills of such high standards, think about managing India, which is home to zillions of such companies. And that's not it! We still have a lot many issues pertaining to other sectors like Defence, Health, Water, Power, Population, Pollution, Unemployment, Communal Harmony and so on...

Building up a bit more on the same lines, how about experienced editors and reporters of leading news journals stepping into politics after an enriching career in the said field? Because editors are someone who have the best of ideas available to tackle the situation at hands always and every time. I am not being sarcastic but this really makes sense as it would bring out many more aspects of politics which regular politicians cant write about!

The Great Hockey Inanity

2007-09-23T07:41:00.000+05:30

If you thought 'All that glitters is gold', go for a reality check! Meet Team Hockey, India and you will feel hog-tied as a slave craving for freedom. Real heroes often have a long and bitter history of being unsung most of the times.

How many of us actually know that India has have had an excellent repute in the game and are ranked among the top Hockey playing nations in the world. India and Pakistan dominated men's Hockey till late 80's and still are respectable hockey playing nations even now. I invite you to consider that being among the top Hockey playing nations is far more commendable than being good at Cricket.

The fact can be testified by a simple comparison of the two sports. India ranks 8th among 120 Hockey playing nations and 6th among 11 Cricket playing nations. Media in India does all the ballyhoo about 3 sports in particular, CRICKET, CRICKET and CRICKET!

Why so much hype to cricket only? Even the Sports Ministry is to be blamed here. Poor Hockey players are the ones who actually play for nation's pride. They are still very poor unlike our cricketers who have become so irresponsible now. No media coverage, no big sponsors, no big company hiring hockey players as brand ambassadors... that's how tough and humiliating it is to be a Hockey Player in a nation who's National Sport is Hockey!

I bet you will be shocked to learn that while India clinched the Asia Cup 2007 title for Hockey in Chennai beating South Korea 7-2, our media was busy interviewing prominent personalities from the field of cricket asking them to comment on Sachin's retirement! This is how important issues are sidelined by the media.

Truly speaking Hockey is a sport which badly needs Media advocacy and recognition from public in general. Had India invested wisely in Hockey as much it glutted on cricket, we surely would have been paragons in the sport!

Manusmriti

2007-08-05T08:10:00.000+05:30

The Manusmriti, translated smriti of Manu is a work of Hindu Law and ancient Indian society. It is one of the 19 Dharmashastras which are a part of the smriti literature. It is considered the oldest and one of the most important texts of this genre.

It explains itself as a discourse given by Sage Manu to rishis who begged him to enlighten them on the topic. There are 2,684 verses divided into 12 chapters.

A range of historical opinion generally dates composition of the text any time between 200 BCE and 200 CE. The dating is significant because the work was written during the period when Brahmanical tradition was seriously threatened by non-Vedic movements.

The work is considered an important source for sociological, political and historical studies. Manusmriti is one of the most heavily criticized of the scriptures of Hinduism, having been attacked by a gamut of people including colonial scholars, Dalit advocates, feminists, Marxists and Hindu Nationalists. Some of these groups have burned the text in public demonstrations.

The Manusmriti was one of the first Sanskrit texts studied by the British. It was first translated into English by the founder of Indology, Sir William Jones, and the translated version was published in 1794.

It is widely believed that out of a total of 2,685 verses, only 1,214 are authentic, the other 1,471 being interpolations on the text. The law in Manusmriti also is claimed to be overtly positive towards Brahmins (priests) in terms of concessions made in fines and punishments.

The stance of Manusmriti about Shudras, women and their education is a big issue. Certain interpretations claim that it discourages women from reading Vedic scriptures. This also forms the basic reason for the continued slavery of Untouchables in our society.

And You Thought There Was No Untouchability?

2007-08-05T07:02:00.000+05:30

If you ever thought that we are living in a new world or a new century and hence we have eliminated Untouchability, think again... and be prepared for a shock.

The age old practices of casteism and untouchability were conceived by the Manusmriti, which is the first ever work of Hindu Law and ancient Indian society. Some of these codes of conduct pertain to the Hindu Caste System and are still practiced with full devotion and fidelity, the difference being, we now practice it in a more sophisticated and hi-tech fashion.

For instance, in Kerela, a low caste person is not allowed any footwear in the locality of high caste people or in shops etc. He must cross the region barefoot. Their under privileged children cant seek admission into the 11th grade even after clearing 10th grade exams.

In Gujarat, these people cant board a rickshaw and their children have to sweep the campus including toilets and prepare tea for teachers in the schools they study in. Its not surprising to listen to children address other children much younger to them saying 'ji' just because they belong to a higher caste. In Bihar, they are made to clean shit and dead bodies; and all this on temporary jobs basis.

The scene at temples is no better. While there are different doors for Mazhabis (lower caste sikhs) at Gurudwaras, temples in the south allow these people only for playing the drums, and not for offering prayers. Once a devotee was brutally hit on the head for mistakenly going to a higher caste door. In the Sikh community a mere 10% higher caste sikhs dominate the lower caste, which accounts for a mammoth 70% of the Sikh community.

Almost all religions have separate Mandirs, Mazjids, Gurudwaras and even churches for these ill-fated and the most unfortunate breed of living beings on Earth. How callous can this be? In miserable times we often seek blessings from our Bhagwan, Khuda, Parvar Degar and God, but its not like that for them. God has only biased them.

Its a common sight to see people changing their religion in a hope to get rid of their sufferings. But you can change your religion, not your caste. So you end up landing in the similar clutches of some other religion.

Aren't they humans? Don't they have the right to live?

Why can't they enjoy life the same way others do?

Can you imagine yourself or a close friend of yours to lead an extraordinary life like that?

They are pretty much like us. At least they deserve some dignity...

Can you offer your maid a cup of tea? If so, can you offer her tea in the same cup that you use? This is how we can change their lives. Simply by showing some respect, empathy and dignity we can make a world of difference to them.

Paani Paani Re...

2007-07-28T18:51:00.000+05:30

Have you ever given a thought about the approximate daily water consumption in a big city, or for that matter, in your city? Say, Pune, for instance, with its 4.5 million people requires 950 million litres of water daily.

Now that is huge. I was really shocked to learn these figures. What should concern a citizen is that all the water we get is purified for safety. And this purification doesn't come free of cost. Even if we leave aside the cost of chemicals required for purification, a months electricity requirements only mount up to a whopping Rs. 4 crore.

So the next time you decide to take a bath in that lavish shower of yours or leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, just think about this coz you don't get this water for free. All of us pay taxes to make up for this cost...

And, there are places where water is not available that freely. Even till a few years back, people in Akola had to buy water.

Even if all of us save just 1 litre of water daily, Pune saves 4.5 million litres...

These are very small things I thought of which all of us can easily practice and make a lot of difference :-

1. A shower wastes 6-7 times more water (120 lit) than the use of a bucket for bathing (20 lit)

2. Even while we using shower, turn off the tap when you don't require water

3. Turn off the tap while brushing or shaving

4. Turn off taps in public places, schools or officers if you happen to witness them running for no reason

Lets Save our Saviour...

The Dalit Culture

2007-07-28T12:51:00.000+05:30

Dalits are a people broken, forgotten and exploited. There are more than 240 million dalits who are formerly known as the Untouchables or the Outcaste in the subcontinent of India which has a population of almost a billion.

Dalits whose homeland is India were made refugees in their own land by the aggressive invasion of the Aryans. Dalits who had maintained their own unique culture and heritage were robbed by the intruders. Even up to this day, the dalits are the modern day slaves and holocaust victims through the most cruel system of the caste.

The Afro-Americans suffered slavery for some centuries. The Jews suffered holocaust and martyrdom for some time. The Dalits have been suffering humiliation, martyrdom and unspeakable horror for the last three thousand years of our human history. Does the world know about this man-made tragedy?

At the dawn of this millennium, who has to bring the good news of freedom and hope to the millions of voiceless people? The world communities must assume responsibility in bringing total justice to the dalits who have been systematically deprived of their rights and dignity by the upper caste people of India. These upper caste and in particular the Brahmins carry the blood of the millions of dalits in their hand. Now time has come when these people need to be brought to justice.

The upper caste men and women have been traveling comfortably at the cost of the dalits. It is at the sweat of these poor dalit peasants, the landlords and other caste people have amassed wealth. In short, in the name of God, the dalits were cheated and continue to be cheated. Now time has come when dalits must wake up.

Show some Spirit, CFBC

2007-07-19T12:00:00.000+05:30

The Central Board of Film Certification (CFBC) has yet again proved its improbity. Its our motivational guru's Documentary Film this time to face the music.

Intended for a good cause, the 29 minute documentary on Reservation, Jaati Todo - Bharat Jodo (Break Caste - Unite India) by Shiv Khera, was allegedly advised 3 cuts, with the Board asking for proof for 2 claims made in the film.

Khera dismisses them by saying, "They want documentary evidence of some of the statements I've made. For example, there's one that says that in 1984 riots, thousands of sikhs were killed. I've gone on to ask whether their lives can be compensated with money. The Censor Board wants a documentary proof of this! The others are equally ridiculous."

This is the level of people in the Censor Board. It can safely be stated that we're not the world's biggest Democracy, we're the world's biggest Hypocrisy...

Its sad to learn that just because of those corrupt politicians India is in such a sorry state, and to add more to the misery, the political heads do not even want these facts to be stated in the documentary.

Mera Bharat Mahaan, Sau mein se Ninyanave Be-Imaan... Jai Hind!

Lets Design a Film Club

2007-07-17T16:58:00.000+05:30

What is the first thing that strikes our mind when we hear about a Film Club? Well, it should screen movies; What else?

How should a Film be? Should it have a message to deliver? Should it have something that appeals our intellect? Should it be satisfying? How about a film that could showcase an important social issue?

If that's the case, how should a Film Club be? Should it provide us the best of movies? Should it be a place where individuals can hope of spending quality time or rather invest time? Should it also provide a platform to exchange our views?

Now, what if there is a dream film club wherein we can have discussions held right after the screening of a movie? So we watch a movie; Form an opinion about the issue being raised; And put it forward in the house...

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Who knows your idea can start a revolution?

All of you who have that desire to understand a lot of Social Issues and working out their possible solutions, Aagaz Film Club is the place for you.

And, those of you who are least interested in Social Isuues that affect our neighbourhood, our locality, our state, our country and our world; There's something for you too.

How about developing a taste for such issues through way of mature and lively discussions?

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Aagaz Film Club plans to screen 2 movies a month; On the first and third Saturdays, and also progressive cultural shows once in 3 months.

What are you waiting for? Flex that Social Muscle in your mind. Together we can create a community of our kind, which is fearless, self motivated, unique and most importantly Socially Aware and Responsible...

Have You Taken a Life Today?

2007-07-16T10:13:00.000+05:30

This is a real incident that happened in a local hospital in Bangalore, India.

A 4 year old girl was admitted due to leg fracture. As it was an open fracture, she had to undergo an operation to stitch the protruding bone back in place. Though it was quite a minor operation, she was hooked on to life support system, as a part of the process. The doctors had to input some data prior to the operation to suit different conditions Thereafter, the operation proceeded. Half way through the process, the life support system suddenly went dead.

The culprit :- Some one was using his/her hand-phone outside the operation theatre. And the frequency had affected the system. They tried to track the fellow but to no avail. The little girl, young and innocent as she was, died soon after.

"Be compassionate! Do not use your hand phones/mobiles especially at any hospitals or within the Aircraft or any places where you are told not to use it... You might not be caught in the act, but you might have killed someone unknowingly".

Sometimes it's a matter of Life & Death...

Why No RTI for Jammu & Kashmir?

2007-07-12T07:09:00.000+05:30

World's largest democracy, that's how we know India. But is it really true? Unfortunately enough, Kashmir, the Paradise on Earth, happens to be one of the largest militant hub in India. The situation is so worse that people can not avail even the most basic of their rights and needs.

A premiere example being citizens in J&K still do not have access to the Right To Information Act. I'd say this is absolute Death of Democracy at the hands of the corrupt officials in the state. Let me acquaint you with some very harsh truths about the most beautiful state of our country.

Every year Centre issues a special sum of Rs. 275 crores for developments in the state, but thanks to the local government, not even a single leaf is turned in the region. Its a nexus of corrupt government officials, IAS officers and army personnel. All have their own shares in this managed colossal exploitation of man and resources.

The rate of growth of unemployment here is even higher than the growth of population in India and China. There are no jobs for the increasing number of graduates in the state. The recent protests by engineers there stands a true testimonial to the situation.

Fake Encounters are a frequent sight. Its not unusual for people to go missing for years together. In a recent incident the Police captured a person from a market and killed him in an encounter. His face was crushed badly. When the civilians forced a DNA test, he was found to be a normal civilian like you and me, and the Police claims he was a terrorist.

Increasing pressure by social activists in the region also had no effect in the administration. The central government says it can not do much for the state as it falls in the area of dispute (Indo-Pak).

"Kuch Karo... Agar Kashmir mein jaldi RTI nahin aya toh Khoon ki Nadiyan beh jaengi yahaan!", cried a social activist at the National Convention for RTI Activists held in Pune some time back.

Is there a way to solve this problem? YES. Indian Home Ministry has a special Jammu & Kashmir Cell. If this unit is approached by residents from all over India in the form of RTI applications requesting for the status of RTI in Jammu & Kashmir, may be some improvement could be expected.

Lets hope for Peace in the State !!!

Different states are like different rooms in a house called India. Wouldn't you do something to put off a fire in your brother's room?

Bt Calamity

2007-07-01T23:25:00.001+05:30

We all read daily about farmer suicides in India. But have we ever thought what could the reason be? Here is why they are bound to take the ultimate step.

Bt Cotton accounts for one of the most cardinal causes for the growing deaths. Unlike usual cotton, Bt Cotton is grown from artificially developed seeds and ensures a much superior harvest with the minimal use of pesticides.

Companies selling the seeds claim that the use of Bt Cotton can increase the yield by 30-40 % and also decrease the use pesticides by a whopping 70%. As anticipated, these advantages come with a cost. The seeds cost roughly 16 times the cost of Non Bt Cotton seeds.

In no time, farmers across India became interested in these seeds and opted for them hoping to increase their profits. But the results were truly crestfallen.

New crops cant be grown from the seeds of artificially grown cotton

Farmers have to buy new seeds every season

The crop stills required almost the same amount of pesticides

As opposed to 50-60 bolls in the Non Bt brand, the Bt Cotton bore only 20-30 on an average

Most of these would fall off much earlier than the crop could be harvested

Use of these seeds degraded the soil, which affected other crops as well

Result, all hopes shattered! Harvests became their biggest nightmare.

Most farmers took loans for buying such costly seeds

Loans were made available on a staggering 35-40 % interest rate

Investing about Rs. 25000 (that too through loans) gave a return of only Rs. 2500 after harvesting

Other crops also affected

No way of returning the loan

Possible Reasons

Seeds were developed in the USA and suited their environment, soil and weather, not ours

No tests or experiments conducted to study the impact of artificial seeds on the soil

Government privatizing Agriculture Sector because of political gains through MNCs

MNCs don't bother about the impact of seeds on Indian Agricultural. They only think about selling off their product in the Indian market

Unawareness among farmers

Possible Solutions

Try to raise voice against privatization of agriculture sector

Spread awareness among farmers

I feel the first optional is very crucial. We must take a stand against the various injustices happening around us.

There is also a need to unite our farmers and raise voice against the deliberate murder of our Agiculture. No industrialization can sustain without a firm agricultural base!

A Tree for Free

2007-06-28T09:35:00.000+05:30

Pune is the greenest place on Earth I have ever visited. When my mother had come to see me a year back, she was absolutely spell bound by the greenery around. It really gives you a lot of pleasure to watch such wonderful trees.

When studying for exams in college, I'd often sit in our beautifully maintained college garden. It'd relax my mind to a degree that I could get back to studies full swing.

I really realised the importance of trees recently and would like to do every thing to make my surroundings greener. Whats more, Green has become the flavour of this season for me.

The good news is that Sambhaji Park, near Bal Gandharva Square (in Pune) maintains a nursery and sells all kinds of trees just for a rupee each. Now this is the most amazing thing I heard of in recent times. This facility of availing low cost trees is provided specially to promote afforestation by common people.

We should take up responsibility of planting a few trees at least and maintaining them. This would ensure to preserve the greenery in our cities. Dont you feel this is an easy way to say Good Bye to Global Warming !

Think Global Cooling

2007-06-27T08:58:00.000+05:30

I dont think I need to mention about the threats to our environment by Global Warming. But here's we can do our bit :-

1. Save Air by

Using private vehicles wastes money and pollutes air. Why not make car pools to save both? You will eliminate about 22 pounds of carbon dioxide for every gallon of gasoline saved

Use public transport facilities like buses, if convinient. They are already there messing up the situation. Why do you want to add up to the mess?

Use a bicycle for short distances. We often have work nearby - grocery, school, college and so on. Why not use the most trendy means of transport? Saves a lot of fuel and money also

We cant do anything to the pollution by Power Stations. Better way, Save Electricity

SAVE TREES. Green should be the flavor of all seasons to come now.

2. Save Water/Land by

Shut the tap while brushing teeth. A lot of water gets wasted. Whats more, open the tap in low pressure. Even this would save a lot of water

A shower wastes a lot of water as compared to bathing by the use of a bucket. So if you still want to use the shower, shut it off when you dont exactly require it (of course while bathing)

Buy minimal packaged goods. Choose reusable products over disposable ones. You will be able to eliminate about 1000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if you cut down your garbage by 25%.

3. Save Electricity by

Shut lights and fans when not required. Be it your school, college or work place. Insist others to as well

Do not use Air Conditioners as far as possible. Else our kids might not even get to see an AC in times to come

Relace Air Conditioners by fans and desert coolers. Quite a good deal, huh?

Did You Know?

According to the World's Health Organization, each year about tens of thousands of people die in the world's major cities due to the breathing in of poor quality air. As many as one billion people around the world are regularly exposed to pollution levels up to 100 times more than WHO guidelines.

We often might reject the thought of contributing to save the environment by saying it wont be enough or adequate if a single person tries to help. Of course it wont be. But what if like me, you also start spreading awareness of such small techniques to save our mother land. I am sure you can think of even more minute and accurate details. Why not spread them for a good cause?

By sharing technologies, experience and resources we can hopefully lower the greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the threat of global climate change.

Kothrud Rip Off

2007-06-26T09:01:00.000+05:30

As Pune gets new sky scrapers, cost living in Pune also has sky as the limit. Kothrud happens to be one of the fastest developing localities of Asia.

The effect is so gruesome that rooms in Yashraj Hostel near MIT College, which were just capable of dwelling 2 people now have 3; and the rent that used to be a mere Rs. 1500 p.m. is now a whopping Rs. 5000 p.m. And I can tell you that its not even possibly to accommodate 3 cots, tables and chairs in the room, leave aside living and studying...

Going by calculations, its surprising to note that a small room which would generate Rs. 3000 a month 2 years back will now generate Rs. 15000 a month. To add more, every room has a separate electricity meter which means electricity bill needs to be cleared separately.

And its very much possible because we do have quite a few 'million dollar babies', who can flex a money muscle to meet the price rise. Thanks to the callous owner who has a nasty attitude and says, "The boys need a place to live and this is the cost they have to pay! I don't care if a few people go. Newer ones will keep coming".

The situation became even worse when the nearby hostels also shot up room fares leaving a middle class student in total dismay. Such students now hunt for flats or rooms on cot basis in far off places which definitely waste a lot of time and could be a major head ache if they do not own a vehicle.

How Penurious is our Police?

2007-06-26T08:28:00.000+05:30

When it comes to taking responsibilities, the Indian administration is world class in demurring and turning away. And Indian Ploice is no exception.

In a recent happening, a man was brutally beaten to death by crushing his head with stones by 6 people near a railway station in Pune and then laid down on the tracks to be chopped off in day light in public. The most exciting part of the story is that even Police was there enjoying the sight. When asked be the people around to do something in that regard, they promptly replied, "A railway line is not in police jurisdiction. Railway Police should stop and catch the criminals."

Yes sir, why would you do anything to stop someone from killing people in public? Was it your family member being brutally murdered? But sir, you would atleast call up the Railway Police and hand them over your criminals, right?

A National Level Convention for RTI Crusaders

2007-06-26T08:14:00.000+05:30

A National Convention of RTI activists was held in Pune on 12,13th May 2007. Activists from 23 states in India participated. Bharat Uday Mission (BM) Pune members were present as volunteers to assist the organizers "Surajya Sangharsha Samiti, Pune", a group of RTI activists in Pune.

The convention was attended by well known personalities including: Aruna Roy, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodiya (parivartan), Medha Patkar. Phew, being with such people was quite an honour.

Following members from Pune participated as volunteers: Prerna, Ranjini, Rishikesh, Abhijeet R, Ashwin T, Dipendra, Pradnya K, Ketaki M, Abhijit K.

Members of BM Gwalior and BM Ujjain chapters were invited and Saurabh and Gaurav Bharat From those chapters represented BM.

Through this convention BM got good visibility among some of the activist groups like Parivartan, and among activists from various other states. We also showed our interest in helping the RTI activists all over India in making a database of all RTI activists.

Lot of BM members are already members of HumJanenge yahoogroup, which is the prime medium of communication for RTI activists. We can further use this group to update the RTI activists about : our experiences with the applications that we have filed, difficulties, solutions,
suggestions, etc. BM members can use the name of Bharat Uday Mission in their signatures to further give visibility to the mission.

The next RTI convention is planned in Ranchi in September and I believe that BM members from nearby areas will definitely participate.

I believe working in isolation is exremely inefficient, and we should be coordinating our activities with other activists in our states. "Ekta Mein Bal Hai", you see.

Animals need our Support -- Even we are Animals

2007-06-16T23:43:00.000+05:30

People for Animals - Pune has changed the lives of hundreds of animals in Pune. Run by mere two core people and 3 other volunteers, it has conducted more than 30
animal rescue operations in 1 year. It has also conducted 5 major raids where more than hundred animals were rescued. PFA volunteers have also given more than a hundred presentations on vegetarianism and animal welfare in India, UK and USA.

How can you help

* PFA urgently needs an animal ambulance and land for rescue center.

* You can join PFA as volunteer and save animals from torture and pain

* Can get PFA an opportunity for presentation in vyakhyans / lectures / club meetings / society meetings / vegetarianism for non jains and ahimsa for Jains.

* Provide information about animal cruelty or illegal confinement.

You can contact PFA at

People for Animals, Pune
1st Floor, Kesariya Apartment,
149, bhawani Peth,
Pune - 411042

Phone - 02066017797

Emails -

web@pfapune.com

ahinsa.w@dhirajjain.com
ahinsa.w@manojoswal.com

Animal Helpline Pune - 9890793853 / 9890044455

14th June -- A Tribute To World Donor's Day

2007-06-16T22:28:00.000+05:30

History

Landsteener discovered the ABO Blood Group system in 1901, which is one of the most important landmark discoveries in the Transfusion Medicine. In the 1970s voluntary donors were accepted as blood donors. These donors were later on found to people having high-risk activities and the recipients were found to be suffering from liver diseases. This lead to another discovery of Hepatitis B transmitted by donated blood. Since then testing for the hepatitis B antigen was implemented and this together with cessation of paid donors reduced the incidence of post transfusion hepatitis. Further studies also made us to include tests for Malaria, Syphilis, AIDS, and Hepatitis C to make the donated blood as safe as possible to the recipient.

What is Blood?
One can say that blood is that magic potion which gives life to another person. Though we have made tremendous discoveries and inventions in Science we are not yet able to make the magic potion called Blood. Human blood has no substitute.

Who can donate Blood?
Donor should be between 18-55 years of age with a weight of 50 kg or above with normal pulse rate, body temperature and blood pressure. Both men and women can donate. Donors with a history of epilepsy, psychotic disorders, abnormal bleeding tendencies, severe asthma, cardiovascular disorders, malignancy are permanently unfit for blood donation. Donors suffering from disease like hepatitis, malaria, measles, mumps, and syphilis may donate blood after full recovery with 3-6 months gap.

How much blood can be taken?
Our body has 5.5 ltr of blood of which only 350 ml - 450 ml of blood is taken depending upon weight of donor. Majority of healthy adults can tolerate withdrawal of one unit of blood. The withdrawn blood volume is restored within 24 hours and the hemoglobin and cell components are restored in 2 months. Therefore it is safe to donate blood every 3 months.

What is done with the collected blood?

The blood collected in sterile, pyrogen free containers with anticoagulants like CPDA or CPDA with SAGM. This prevents clotting and provides nutrition for the cells. This blood is stored at 2-6 C or -20 C depending on the component prepared. Donated blood undergoes various tests like blood grouping antibody detection, testing of infections like hepatitis, AIDS, Malaria, syphilis and before it reaches the recipient it undergoes compatibility testing with the recipient blood.

Modern Blood Transfusion Practice

Modern blood transfusion basically deals with the optimal use of one unit of blood. One unit of whole blood is separated into components making it available to different patients according to their requirement. Thus one unit of blood is converted into packed cell volume, fresh frozen plasma, platelet concentrate, cryoprecipitate and granulocytes concentrate.

Another important practice is apheresis. This is separation of only desired component from the donor and return the remaining constituent back to donor. This technique is also used for remaining pathological substance in patients.

Withdrawal of blood for transfusion is regarded as a safe procedure now and blood donor has emerged as the single most vital link.

Yeh Hai Meri Kahani

2007-06-11T23:47:00.000+05:30

Its June and exam time in Pune University. Soon I will be called 'Rushal Bhai Engineer'.

Computer guys have been lucky enough this time around to have managed to pull out pretty long gaps between the subjects. 6 days holidays for 2 exams and 4 for the remaining 2.

Its really been a journey from first year to the final year. Learnt a lot new lessons, taught a lot new lessons and grown with time.

In the last 4 years we have been taught some of the finest subjects related to Computers.

The Ultimate Encounter

2007-06-10T23:13:00.000+05:30

If you are wondering why am I writing about a movie for the second time I'd say its absolutely worth it. Apoorva Lakhotia has made a mind blowing debut by trying to bring to light the hard life style of the otherwise contemptible Policemen.

Sanjay Dutt palys the cop former IG A A Khan. And the good thing about this is that you can actually see Mr A A Khan in the movie. He plays the commissioner who gives Sanjay Dutt full charge and authority of the operation towards the end of the movie.

The movie also features real pictures of the encounter operation.

Its nice to witness such a nice change in the Indian Cinema trend. Rang De Basanti, Munna Bhai series and the likes have done a great job in making our people, specially the youth, a bit more socially aware and thus responsible. I really feel that the directors and produce really play a major role in shaping up our society. I mean with so much of fan worshipping in India, what is not possible?

Anil Kapoor has almost finished with his debut venture as a producer. He has a theme based on Ganhiji. The surprize is that the Man In Black Will smith also features in the movie. Anil Kapoor was astonished to learn that Smith is quite a Gandhi fan and is very knowledgeable about his life and teachings...

Anil, we are waiting.

Jaago India Jaago

2007-05-10T13:50:00.000+05:30

We all are tired of corrupt government officials misusing their powers and would definitely feel like exposing corruption and bringing about transparency in Governance. Hold on your breadths comrades, for what you are going to read now would be the most alluring and stupefying things of recent times. Let me present before you the mighty and righty, Right to Information Act!!!

We, the citizens of India, are the masters of this country. The governments exist to serve us. But do you really feel we are the masters? Have you ever desired to be the masters?

While asking all this it is very well known that the answer to all these questions is NO, a big NO. Why should we bother about anything as long as we get our daily share of freaking out with friends and babble? This is our world and this is all what matters to us. Even I was of a similar opinion until lately.

The RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT (RTI) came into being on 12th October 2005. Its motive is to ensure that the general public like you and me has access to information which is under the control of various government authorities. It is designed to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every government department or institution at both central and state levels.

When I say information, it means two kinds of information. It could be either to get some information about the schemes being run by the government or it could be to unearth corruption. It could be for some personal use, like knowing about your pending telephone connections, or in favor of the masses in general. For instance one fine morning you might want to ask PMC why the heck the roads in your locality are so exemplary. Folks, RTI is just the kind of tool all of us were looking for.

All of us dislike paying taxes. Imagine a notion wherein you get to see all expenditure records for every single project undertaken by the municipal and provide you with accounts of every single penny of your taxes. Won’t this at least give you an unmatched sense of satisfaction that your hard earned money is going to be put in for some good use to your society? Every government office has a public information cell and there is a Public Information Officer (PIO) whose job is to answer our queries. The queries can be made in the form of an application which is to be submitted with a nominal fee of Rs 10. And the best part is that Below Poverty Line (BPL) people do not have to pay even a single penny for this.

Filing an application is not at all complicated. It is a very simple process.

1. You can apply on a plain peace of paper also.

2. Ask questions which are to the point, do not beat around the bush or write essays.

3. The language used must be correct, i.e. avoid using negative or accusing language.

I must enlighten you with a few RTI success stories... There are many farmers who had applied for loans but never got them passed. After applying RTI, their two year old applications were considered and action was taken. Similarly with a stark request of details about the officer in charge for handling pensions, retired people who were not getting pensions for over two years markedly got those pensions kick started with a warm and humble request to withdraw the applications.

Mumbai police, till very recently used to see a lot of officers being transferred without notice and reasons. Classic example, Sudhir Naik, an Assistant Commissioner in Greater Mumbai Metropolitan Council, whose transfer orders were cancelled on application of RTI by the local residents. He was being transferred for initiating projects like “Zero Garbage Drive”, which forced the cleaning staff to perform their duties promptly. This speaks volumes about the power of RTI.

Sailesh (name changed), a mazdoor in Gujarat wanted to apply for his Ration Card, officials for which were available twice a month. So there used to be huge queues on both days. The officials would entertain only those who offered bribes. When Sailesh requested for his ration card through his RTI application, to the whole mazdoor communities’ surprise, it was revealed that the officials were supposed to be working on all working days for Ration Card instead of just 2 days a month. Thanks to Sailesh, now the mazdoors don’t have to wait for months together for their cards.

The power of RTI was also experienced by a Chandrakant Kale, who received his Property Registration Card (PR) - an age old pending issue since last 30 years was resolved.

RTI exposed the log book entries on outstation trips made by Pune’s mayor. Official cars were used to visit places like Mahabaleshwar, Lonavla, Khandala, Jalna, Dhule, Yavatmal and even Nipani in Karnataka. According to the log book, she pulled off the impossible of being present at two places at the same time. On December 18, the Mayor was at Sangamner in one of her official vehicles and at Alibag in another; on May 31 and June 1, she was at Mumbai and Ahmednagar simultaneously; on September 20, she was at Mahabaleshwar and Nashik at the same time and on December 9, she was in Mumbai and also in Ahmednagar. The total expenditure on cars was a staggering Rs 51,02,235 from January 1 to October 31, 2003. What a waste of our money. The PIO has confirmed no audit has ever been carried out on the use of official vehicles. Now it will.

People have now started using RTI very innovatively to expose corruption. A person deliberately broke a signal and took a challan receipt. Every receipt has a number. A week later he asked his daughter to break a signal and get one more receipt. He now asked how traffic police used the fine collected between these two receipt numbers! A kind of fear in now cropping up in the minds of government employees now. There was this application filed on some orphanage to get the accounts and management details; and the very next day all the children there had new clothes, books and other facilities. So this is what RTI can do to us.

Two year old Ramsu is a young life ebbing away, thanks to insensitivity of the government. Two out of three children are mal-nourished in the country. In certain areas, as many as 50% infants die of hunger which is usually disguised by the more decent word "malnutrition". One out of every four mothers dying of hunger in the world is an Indian - a record which puts to shame the distinction of being one of the highest food producers. What we call our basic needs is luxury for 30% of our fellow country mates. Most of the rural India, even after 60 years of independence does not have access to drinking water within a range of 5 km from their village. By the way, drinking water means running tap water here. We can only imagine what our lives would have been had we had to get water from that far.

And where are we in the picture? We make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone take action?"

So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us, it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities & the government. But definitely not ME and YOU.

Let’s face one more fact. For the 540 MPs of our Lok Sabha, the expense for 5 years is Rs. 8,54,40,00,000 (nearly 855 crores). All thanks to the massive Indian tax paying community for generating this colossal amount. And they are elected by THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, by the largest democratic process in the world, not intruded into the parliament on their own or by any qualification. And you are aware of the consequences better than me. OUR tax money is been swallowed by “our servants” and prices being hiked on our regular commodities.

Why there is never any doctor or medicines at a government hospital near you?
Why your local municipality does so little and always claims that they have no funds?
Where have all the teachers in the government schools gone?

The Right to Information Act gives us the right to obtain information from the government about matters that affect us in thousands of ways. Used innovatively, such information could lead to exposure of corruption and inaction, and make the government responsive and accountable. Shockingly enough common citizens collectively pay more than Rs. 21,000 crores per year as bribes. You must have heard about the multi crore fake stamp paper (Telgi) scam. It was indeed brought into light by our very own Shri Anna Hazare sir, who applied RTI repeatedly to know more about the stamp papers being issued.

The government spends so much money on various works in your area. You may and should ask for the details of all the works carried out by the municipal body in your area. How much money was spent? On what works was it spent? Similar information was requested by people all over the country since October 2005. As expected it was physically verified that a number of works existed only on paper. Won’t you like to hold the government similarly accountable in your area, city and state?

Under the RTI Act, we can demand from any government body:

1. Any information pertaining to any of its departments
2. Photocopies of contracts, payments, estimates, measurements of engineering works, etc.
3. to inspect any under-construction or completed work done by the government
4. to inspect government documents - books, registers, drawings, records, absolutely anything
the status of your complaints and requests

It often happens that a government inspector comes to inspect something or the other. But has it ever happened that a common man goes to a government department seeking to inspect government works?

When through RTI Act, a citizen inspects government work or takes samples of material of that work; he deals a severe blow to corrupt practices by unscrupulous officials. We can inspect an old work (which has already been completed) or a currently ongoing work. If we inspect an old work, we can expose corruption that might have taken place. But if we inspect an ongoing work, we will be able to prevent corruption from taking place.

The issue of worriment is that not many people know about the existence of such a propitious act. We have such a powerful tool to fight corruption supplicating for attention and use. Let’s make it one of our aims to reignite the minds of citizens who have lost faith in the cause that is India. As they rightly say, “There is nothing as strong as the heart of a volunteer”. Come join the RTI Biradari.

Does this article prick your conscience? What are you going to do about it?

Being a Traffic Volunteer

2006-09-07T07:11:00.001+05:30

I received a call from the NCC Unit saying I had to be detailed regarding Traffic Volunteering Activity for the Ganpati Visarjan Procession in the city and also given the team I was to lead... We were a group of 13 including me and a total of 4 groups. We had to divert all incoming traffic.

It was really fun as people actually listened us... We were in our NCC Uniform and the people gave us due respect. But then there are various kinds of people. I must have diverted nothing less than a hundred people. Some of them were good, some of them troubled. Atleast I got to know what kind of people are around us. Some like troubling just for the sake of it. I remember an old man on cycle who had to go a very long way because of the diversion, but a rule is a rule, and it is the same for everyone.

I really admire Maharashtra Police for having arranged excellent food facilities and other snacks. It was more than sufficient. Infact there were a lot of food packets left untouched. I wanted to distribute the food among the beggars nearby but was a little hesitant to put forward the plan at first. But I was amazed at its response from junior cadets at the time of final dispersion when all the 4 groups had come together... The next moment I was on my way with a few volunteers distributing the food packets to the beggars around. It really feels nice to be doing such a thing. They look upon you as a god.

The biggest shock came to me when I asked my juniors whether they wanted to volunteer more and they gave me a very enthusiastic and JOSHFUL yes !!! I thought by the end of a long tiring day, they all must be dead tired because it was actually tiring. Sometimes juniors' josh pumps you to the hilt. But I had to give them the bad news of our departure...

In the end it was great working with my colleagues and juniors all day but there is always an end to all good stories. Our's was no exception !

A Salute to Our Great TEACHERS !!!

2006-09-05T09:17:00.000+05:30

The oldest nice teacher I can remember is Mrs Dagar... She taught meArt in junior school and Hindi when I grew up. She was a very kind andpolite teacher and I used to love interacting with her.

Next comes Mrs Julka, who taught me English in 5th grade. I had a verygood impression on her and used to love her lectures.

There was one Saroj Singh mam who taught us Geography in 10th grade. Iused to ask her millions of questions, not to trouble her, but out ofcuriosity, and she was fed up of me. But one fine day, she told theclass that I am ready to teach Rushal alone as a class when Irequested her to take our Games period for completion of syllabus andwas terribly opposed by the rest of my class !! My proudest moment...

In college, it has to be Prof Mrs Paygude, who taught us 2 semesters.I had her in one of my counseling panels (troop counseling). Thats wenI came to know how good a human being she is. My best and all time favourite teacher...

I found Prof Mrs Suja and Pranali also kind as they used to understandmy extra curricular activities with the troop and always used to guideme accordingly.

I take this opportunity to thank all my beautiful teachers a lot and wish them the Happiest Teachers Day !!!

Gandhigiri...

2006-09-04T18:56:00.000+05:30

Vidhu Vinod Chopra has done it once again !!! Well, if you have seen Lage Raho Munna Bhai, u' ll easily guess what I am talking about... I really found the movie out of this world. If you have not seen the movie yet, I'd highly rcommend you to watch it... Its a superb blend of laughter and a beautiful message... GandhiGiri

Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi - Absolutely majestic

The pension scene was an absolute hair raiser... Next was the one in which Sanjay Dutt hits back the watchman saying, "Jab donon gaal per mare to kya karne ka... Ye toh nahin bataya Bapu ne". Arshad Warsi was brilliant at conversing with the virtual Bapu. He called that bald professor a "bina cover ki notebook, full moon and what not..." Arshad-Sanjay patch up had a good emotional touch. Boman Irani was once again at his acting best. Finally, Abhishek Bachchan added the remaining flavour. Diya Mirza was as usual a visual treat...

All in all, I'd say, "Tension nahin lene ka... Vinamra rehne ka aur asbr rakhne ka... Aur haan, koi 1 gaal pe mare toh dusra gaal age karne ka... Isse samnewale ka gussa kam hota hai aur hamare liye izzat badhti hai... Jhapaaaak !!!"

The movie is a tribute to 9/11 1906, when Bapu actually started his Satyagrah, the finding of the truth !!!

Meet the Commanders

2006-09-04T00:09:00.000+05:30

Every 15th Aug and 26th Jan, the cadets of MIT College perform Rifle Drill and salute the National Flag with pride!!! They are the brave soldiers of the MIT NCC TROOP (MNT for short), headed by ANO Flg Offr S Y Deshmukh Sir, who is also a professor with the Petrochemical Dept of MIT College.

Thats the commanding team for 15th Aug '06. This time the parade was a major success and the cadets were appreciated by one and all... May the tradition continue !!!

Seen in picture are Cdt Cpl Paris Deshmukh, Cdt JUO Monika Jagtap and Cdt Cpl Rushal Thaker (thats me) from Left to Right.

Me and the DROP !!!

2006-09-03T22:40:00.000+05:30

The occassion was the Blood Donation Drive organised by the MIT NCC Troop... And the message was "Blood In Need is Blood Indeed !"

We, at MIT NCC Troop conduct such big scale Blood Donation Drives once every semester. A total of around 350-400 units of Blood is collected which is distributed among 2 Blood Banks.