7 Billion and Counting…

On 31^st October, 2011, the world celebrated the birth of 7 billionth human. It is astonishing to know that while we took 130 years to reach from 1 to 2 billion, only 12 years were taken to reach from 6 to 7 billion mark! At present, on an average 5 humans take birth per second and 2 die. Thus we are increasing at 3 persons/sec on an average! As United Nations didn’t decided who the 7 billionth child would be, several babies including Nargis Yadav of Uttar Pradesh are being hailed as 7 billionth by different countries around the world.

Just a week before, on 25^th October, Javan Vietnamese Rhino became extinct in wild. The lone male survivor was killed by poachers. While humans increase by 3 per second, it is sad to know that we lose about 50-72 species everyday! Both the birthrate of humans and extinction rate of animal and plant species are highest at present.

But what does this birth signify for us? It is interesting to know that according to a research all humans standing shoulder to shoulder would fit in the city of Los Angeles! Thus there is definitely no space crunch. Then, what is the problem with booming population? The problem is not lack of resource or space. It is the uneven distribution and improper, unjustifiable use of them. Thus while earth is capable of sustaining 7 billion humans, we feel scarcity because either we are not satisfied with what we have, or our rightful resources are being wasted by some other round the globe. 5% of the world population uses 23% energy. An average American uses 100 gallons of water everyday. 20% of world population uses 80% of its resources etc. Therefore, with the increase in population we see increasing gap in rich and poor, fights for land and resources resulting in mass murders and genocide (like in Rwanda), conflicts between man and wild, ever deteriorating forests and environment etc.

Who suffers from all this? We may want to believe that only animals and plants are affected and we can do without them, but we are terribly wrong. Whole ecosystem is tangled and connected to each other in such a way that the extinction of microscopic zoo-planktons would lead to the extinction of Blue Whale, the biggest animal found on earth, ever! Its not only about the beauty of wild or the survival of a certain species anymore. Its about life. Because no matter what we may believe humans can not and would not survive the natural catastrophe as big as say, an explosion of super volcano like Yellowstone, or collision of a heavenly body (like the meteor that extinct dinosaurs 6 crore years ago). Of all the species on earth, we are the most vulnerable; even to minor temperature changes. We can’t hibernate, can’t fly, don’t have fur to survive cold, can’t run fast due to 2 legs, don’t have big nails or sharp teeth to kill etc. In short, we simply can’t survive beyond our comfort zone. Let alone a major catastrophe; just imagine your day without electricity. Scientists fear what would happen if the solar flares DO hit earth in 2012 as predicted. Though it will not be the end of world, but it certainly would be the end of electricity for days, months or maybe years.

So, the hope for life would be the resilient animal species. The resilient and easily adaptable animal species are the torch-bearer of life on earth for millions of years. An example is crocodile that we kill and wear so proudly. Crocodiles used to hunt even dinosaurs and when that meteor struck earth, they survived by adapting themselves to extremely cold temperatures resulting from sulphur clouds that hid sun for years. Thus crocodiles are living in this world for more than 60 million years and are more precious to earth than we are. But, who cares for this damned creature? We just want their skins to proudly wear them. In an existence of mere 200,000 years, we have done more harm to life on earth than any other species had ever done, collectively! And we must not forget that we are relatively new to the planet and too young in its history of 4.5 billion years. Dinosaurs lived this world for more than 170 million years peacefully!

So while we can celebrate this 7 billionth birth, we must not forget our true role in planet earth. We are the biggest stakeholders of a wonderful phenomenon called life and the existence of life depends on what we do and how we do it. Lets learn to preserve and share with humans and animals as well, because life is much better and beautiful with them. What’s at stake is a tiny speck, a dot-like sphere in the Universe, that we call EARTH! Lets save it!

7 Billion and Counting…

On 31^st October, 2011, the world celebrated the birth of 7 billionth human. It is astonishing to know that while we took 130 years to reach from 1 to 2 billion, only 12 years were taken to reach from 6 to 7 billion mark! At present, on an average 5 humans take birth per second and 2 die. Thus we are increasing at 3 persons/sec on an average! As United Nations didn’t decided who the 7 billionth child would be, several babies including Nargis Yadav of Uttar Pradesh are being hailed as 7 billionth by different countries around the world.

Just a week before, on 25^th October, Javan Vietnamese Rhino became extinct in wild. The lone male survivor was killed by poachers. While humans increase by 3 per second, it is sad to know that we lose about 50-72 species everyday! Both the birthrate of humans and extinction rate of animal and plant species are highest at present.

But what does this birth signify for us? It is interesting to know that according to a research all humans standing shoulder to shoulder would fit in the city of Los Angeles! Thus there is definitely no space crunch. Then, what is the problem with booming population? The problem is not lack of resource or space. It is the uneven distribution and improper, unjustifiable use of them. Thus while earth is capable of sustaining 7 billion humans, we feel scarcity because either we are not satisfied with what we have, or our rightful resources are being wasted by some other round the globe. 5% of the world population uses 23% energy. An average American uses 100 gallons of water everyday. 20% of world population uses 80% of its resources etc. Therefore, with the increase in population we see increasing gap in rich and poor, fights for land and resources resulting in mass murders and genocide (like in Rwanda), conflicts between man and wild, ever deteriorating forests and environment etc.

Who suffers from all this? We may want to believe that only animals and plants are affected and we can do without them, but we are terribly wrong. Whole ecosystem is tangled and connected to each other in such a way that the extinction of microscopic zoo-planktons would lead to the extinction of Blue Whale, the biggest animal found on earth, ever! Its not only about the beauty of wild or the survival of a certain species anymore. Its about life. Because no matter what we may believe humans can not and would not survive the natural catastrophe as big as say, an explosion of super volcano like Yellowstone, or collision of a heavenly body (like the meteor that extinct dinosaurs 6 crore years ago). Of all the species on earth, we are the most vulnerable; even to minor temperature changes. We can’t hibernate, can’t fly, don’t have fur to survive cold, can’t run fast due to 2 legs, don’t have big nails or sharp teeth to kill etc. In short, we simply can’t survive beyond our comfort zone. Let alone a major catastrophe; just imagine your day without electricity. Scientists fear what would happen if the solar flares DO hit earth in 2012 as predicted. Though it will not be the end of world, but it certainly would be the end of electricity for days, months or maybe years.

So, the hope for life would be the resilient animal species. The resilient and easily adaptable animal species are the torch-bearer of life on earth for millions of years. An example is crocodile that we kill and wear so proudly. Crocodiles used to hunt even dinosaurs and when that meteor struck earth, they survived by adapting themselves to extremely cold temperatures resulting from sulphur clouds that hid sun for years. Thus crocodiles are living in this world for more than 60 million years and are more precious to earth than we are. But, who cares for this damned creature? We just want their skins to proudly wear them. In an existence of mere 200,000 years, we have done more harm to life on earth than any other species had ever done, collectively! And we must not forget that we are relatively new to the planet and too young in its history of 4.5 billion years. Dinosaurs lived this world for more than 170 million years peacefully!

So while we can celebrate this 7 billionth birth, we must not forget our true role in planet earth. We are the biggest stakeholders of a wonderful phenomenon called life and the existence of life depends on what we do and how we do it. Lets learn to preserve and share with humans and animals as well, because life is much better and beautiful with them. What’s at stake is a tiny speck, a dot-like sphere in the Universe, that we call EARTH! Lets save it!

Are we really independent in a true sense?

I was listening to the PM’s address to the nation and the first thing he said was “We have achieved much but still we have to fight against poverty.”  Though I never heard Nehru’s first address to the nation, I am pretty sure that fighting against poverty was his agenda as well. In fact, this single line was a part of every Address to the nation on the eve of Independence. And we have 64 such addresses!

64 years, and still we are fighting against poverty. 64 years and still more than 250 million people sleep hungry. 64 years and yet 290 million people don’t have access to basic health amenities. 64 years and still 130 million children are out of schools. 64 years and 640 million don’t even have toilets at their home. And we talk about growth and booming economy!

The question is, are we really independent in a true sense? Is this the independence for which Bhagat Singh laid his life? Bhagat Singh was a Socialist who believed in inclusive growth. He always feared that when India attains freedom, the poor farmer would fall into the hands of Zamindars and his exploitation would continue. For him true independence meant equal opportunity for all regardless of caste, creed, region, religion and more importantly money.

But post-independence, farmers did fell into the hands of zamindars. Rich continued to become richer, and poor poorer. Thus, while we became free from the British, we could not free ourselves from the shackles of poverty, the fetish of hunger.

The main problem with us is that all our attention is focused only to a few big cities, the metros of India. We forget that most of the population of this country lives in the villages. And its with their inclusion into the mainstream that our country could really prosper. But instead of giving them equal opportunities and let them shine with a Shining India, we neglect them and let them rot and get wasted.

This neglect is the only reason that we face so many problems, violent protests by farmers, distrust of people in Government and of course Naxalism, to some extent. I’ll give an example to validate my point. How many of us know Sharmila Irom Chanu? How many ever heard her name? I doubt even 10% would know her. But she is fasting for a cause for past 11 years! She has not ate since 3^rd November 2000. She is force fed by the police. The cause she is supporting is removal of AFSPA, Armed Forces Special Powers Act from her state Manipur. And she decided to fast when Assam Rifles killed 10 innocent people waiting for a bus at a bus stand, including the National Child Bravery Award winner Sinam Chandramani. The incident took place on 2^nd November 2000.

Imagine if this happened in Delhi, whole nation would have come to streets to protest. Candle light vigils would have been organized and it would have been made sure that the guilty are punished. But who cares about Manipur? We see unprecedented support for Anna’s movement and Ramdev’s fast. But Swami Nigmanand died fasting unto death and nobody noticed. He fasted for 115 days for Ganga. But Ganga does not affect a metro citizen who will get pure water, no matter what. In worse case, he’ll have to buy mineral water, that’s all. But what about crores of Indians for whom Ganga is lifeline? The answer is, we simply don’t care. That’s the only reason that such issues don’t capture the national media’s attention.

These people, our fellow citizens, are forced to live under constant denial. Until that won’t change, I don’t think we can call ourselves truly independent, socialist republic. For me, we would achieve complete independence the day, when every child born on this great land is given equal opportunities, regardless of the place where he/she is born. 

Cure For Corruption

The corruption is a hot topic these days. Everyone is talking about corruption. And we all know that corruption has become like a termite eating our whole nation. But what is its cure?

Lets first see what all are the possibilities we have. First, people say that everyone should cast vote. As we choose corrupt individuals to represent ourselves, so we don’t have right to point fingers. Now, this seems a great solution in theory. But in reality, we don’t have a choice while voting. Because everyone is corrupt. If all of us commit to not voting corrupt, I think whole country would fill up Form-6 and no one would ever get selected! So voting wouldn't work.

Next solution people have is to punish the corrupt strictly, so that it creates a fear in people’s mind and they would not indulge in corruption. Suppose that Raja, Kalmadi and others are given life sentence. Would it make a difference? I don’t think so. Even after Dhananjay was hanged, rapes didn't stopped. In fact, 11 rapes happened in UP in just 3 days! This is clearly because of lack of moral conscience and lack of proper education. Similar is the case with corruption. Merely punishing the corrupt would not do.

Then there is a strong Lokpal. This certainly would have an impact, if the bill is passed. But would it make a difference? Suppose a strong anti-corruption bill is passed. But what if people don't stop bribing officials? Who would report the incident? Maybe we can say for sure that first anti corruption committee is non-corrupt. But what about the subsequent committees? What if the lokpal himself is corrupt?

Main problem with us is our attitude. We have got used to these stuffs. And the best part is, we point fingers, and sometimes whole hand, without ever introspecting ourselves. We talked about Anna's movement. I can bet that majority of people that gathered there were themselves corrupt in one way or another. We are great at shouting slogans, but when it comes to ourselves, we want shortcuts. We don't want queues, so pay bribe. We don't want to be fined, so pay bribe. We don't want to wait for formalities, so pay bribe, etc.

I would like to share an example here. One of my friends talked too much about country. About wanting to do something for the society and his inability to do so. About fighting corruption, donating blood, being a responsible citizen, and so on. But, this same gentleman got a fake receipt from my PG so that he could get Rs 3000 from his company. Tomorrow, he would be upset by reading news about corruption, poverty etc and would blame everyone except himself! Maybe he'll be in the front row of an anti-corruption campaign, but more often than not, its just because of getting name & fame. This is just one example. I am sure you might also know such people. And this is exactly where the problem lies.

People think that mass civil movements would make a change. But these movements can only change Governments, unless we change ourselves. I am not saying that punish each and every individual, I know it is not feasible. Nor am I against stringent punishment for the corrupt. All I am saying is that each one of us should change himself and this change would reflect in the society as a whole.  So while on the one hand a strong bill is needed, this is not enough without a social reform. And Social reform can only be brought up when every individual stands up against corruption and ensure that he/she is not corrupt. Best thing would be to add this to school curriculum. Teach every child of India that corruption is bad.

MK Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want the world to be." Maybe, we cannot change Government, bureaucrats, police officers, etc, but we can at least change ourselves. And this is what makes all the difference. Be an example for your friends, your community, and maybe they would change as well. Then only this battle against corruption could be won.

Jai Hind! 

India Not a Peaceful Place to Live In?

According to the report of Global peace Index (GPI), 2011, India has fallen into the 20 least peaceful countries list. India is queuing up with countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. The country is been ranked 135 out 153 nations in the world. Pakistan is ranked 146 and Afghanistan 150

.

The Global Peace Index is an initiative of the Institute for Killelea's Economics and Peace, an international think tank that explores relationships between business, peace and economic development.  Now in its fifth year, the GPI measures the relative peacefulness of 153 countries by looking at both qualitative and quantitative indicators that combine internal and external factors determining a nation's peacefulness. These include arms imports and exports, violent crime, battlefield deaths, prison populations, potential for terrorism, political stability and the likelihood of violent demonstrations. The Index also seeks to understand how peace impacts global economics and business, and vice versa.

The advisory panel apportioned scores based on the relative importance of each of the indicators on a 1-5 scale. Two sub-component weighted indices were then calculated from the GPI group of indicators: 1) a measure of how at peace internally a country is; 2) a measure of how at peace externally a country is. The overall composite score and index was then formulated by applying a weight of 60 percent to the measure of internal peace and 40 percent for external peace.

India's total score was 2.570. A few details of the peace indicators scores are as follows, Number of external and internal conflicts fought -5, Relations with neighboring countries-4, Number of displaced people as a percentage of the population-1, Level of disrespect for human rights-4, Potential for terriorist acts-4, Number of homicides per 100,000 people-2, Level of violent crime-3, Ease of access to small arms and light weapons-4, Military capability/sophistication-4 and Political instability-1.25.

India's score remains the same on most parameters compared to its last year scores. Homicide and crime rates in India, too, are a lot lower than many other countries but the fall in rankings is largely due to an increasing perception of criminality in society.

Now, it is very easy to dismiss this report, to say that the factors are skewed and the report is tailored against India. Indians are best at dismissing any negative reports, after all! But the fact is there was an explosion outside Delhi High Court on Wednesday, and no one even cared. Reason, it was a low intensity explosion and no one died! It has, in fact become a routine of our lives to keep hearing about an explosion every now and then.

More interesting is the way we tackle such things as a nation. I read some of the comments on the news item in TOI, and they showed a clear picture of the so called “Unity” in our country. Instead of condemning the act, people were discussing saffron and green, throwing derogatory comments on each other’s religion. Had it been a major explosion, it would definitely have widened the gap between the communities.

Let’s talk about our capability to tackle terror as a nation on a whole. We may boast about our military capabilities, but what about our intelligence and internal security? The GOI, recently handed a most wanted list of fugitives to Pakistan, only to find out two of them were actually living in India, bringing shame on the country! The foreign minister blamed CBI, which in turn made a scapegoat of some lower level officers. Interestingly, CBI, the premier intelligence agency of the country didn’t refreshed the list in last one decade! David Headley in his trail told that Mumbai attacks were cancelled twice before finally being carried out on 26^th. In both the cases, the terrorists entered Indian waters. So our intelligence failed not once, but thrice!

Even when some of the criminals are put behind bars, what we do to them? We treat them of course! Guest is God after all! A nation where two-third of the population lives below 2$/day, spends more than 10 crore on a terrorist’s safety! It eludes me how can we afford it! Then there is the famous case of Afzal Guru, who no one wants alive except our great leaders and President. They are waiting for another plane hijack, I guess!  

Facts Unknown About Bhagat Singh

Jis dhaj se koi maqtal me gaya, wo shaan salamat rahti hai

Yeh jaan to aani jaani hai, is jaan ki koi baat nahi

(It is the dignity with which one goes to his death that is remembered by all,

What of life, it comes and goes....)

Today is 23rd of March. It was on this day 80 years back that 3 great sons of India laid their lives and went to the gallows smiling and singing! Lets celebrate this Shaheed Diwas by remembering their sacrifice and developing a sense of duty towards our motherland. 

I am presenting here some facts of Bhagat Singh's life that people generally don't know. Hope it would motivate others to work towards nation building.

Bhagat Singh's views on violence:- Bhagat Singh is generally portrayed as a violent man, someone who can kill easily The fact is Bhagat Singh was non-violent to his core. So non-violent that it pained him to hurt or kill anyone. This was the only point where he disagreed with his best friend, Sukhdev. They would debate for hours on violence vs non-violence. In The Philosophy of Bombs, he writes,
"Let us, first of all, take up the question of violence and non-violence. Violence is physical force applied for committing injustice, and that is certainly not what the revolutionaries stand for. On the other hand, what goes by the name of non-violence is in reality the theory of soul-force, as applied to the attainment of personal and national rights through courting, suffering and hoping thus to finally convert your opponent to your point of view."..... "The question really, therefore, is not whether you will have violence, but whether you will have soul-force plus physical force or soul-force alone."

After Saunders' death, HSRA issued a public notice, signed by Balraj, a pseudonym of Bhagat Singh. He wrote, "Sorry for the death of a man; but the sacrifice of individuals at the altar of the Revolution that will bring freedom to all and make the exploitation of man by man impossible, is inevitable."

Similarly, after Assembly bombings, he and BK Dutt threw some leaflets signed by Balraj. The text contained following lines:
"We are sorry to admit that we who attach such sanctity to human life, we who dream of a glorious future when man will be enjoying perfect peace and full liberty, have been forced to shed human blood."
All these show that Bhagat Singh had faith in non-violence, but was forced to act violently due to atrocities of British.

Bhagat Singh's view on Gandhiji: Bhagat Singh believed that Gandhiji and leaders like him are not true representatives of society. He called them only the representatives of upper class who do not care of the masses. He wrote, "No man can claim to know a people's mind by seeing them from public platform and giving them Darshan and Updesh. Has Gandhi, during recent years, mixed in the social life of masses? Has he sit with the peasant round the evening fire and tried to know what he thinks? Has he passed a single evening in the company of a factory labourer and shared with him his vowes? We have, and therefore we claim to know what the masses think." He also never believed in Gandhiji's ways to attain freedom, in spite of being non-violent himself and an active participant in non-cooperation movement.

Bhagat Singh view of independence: Bhagat Singh always dreamed of an India which is equal for all after independence. Being born in a zamindar's home, he knew the pain of labour class. As he was a follower of communism, he always believed in equality of people. In fact, it was Bhagat Singh who changed the name of the party from HRA to HSRA including the term Socialist in the name. Socialism advocates for public ownership and co-operative management of means of production and allocation of resources. He thought that if even people get an independence by Gandhian ways, the labour class, daily workers would continue to get exploited. He said that true independence can never be won if the poor masses are not empowered.
Sadly, looking at the rich-poor divide in today's India, we are too far away from achieving the state for which he sacrificed his life.

His religious views: Bhagat Singh was a believer in God in his initial life. He used to wear a turban and even recited Gayatri Mantra for hours. However, after reading about the great revolutions across the world and the biographies of Lenin and Marx he was convinced beyond doubt that God doesn't exists. He believed that religions divide the people and divert them from the cause of independence. He was greatly influenced by Ghadar party, a revolutionary group of Indian Sikhs in Canada. One of the booklets which party issued had a poem with following lines:
"No Pundits or Mullahs do we need
No Prayers or litanies we need recite 
This will only scuttle our boat 
Draw sword: this time to fight. 
Though Hindus, Mussalmans, Sikhs we be, 
Sons of Bharat are we still 
Put aside our arguments for another day, 
Need of the hour is to kill."
So Bhagat Singh believed that if not for religion, people would have been united and fought against Britishers as one.
Sadly, people of this great nation remained divided till we got independence and Pakistan was born. If Bhagat Singh had been there at the time of independence, then unlike Mahatma, he would never had allowed the partition of country on religious grounds. Looking at how people are still divided, i am pained to say that Bhagat Singh's sacrificed his life in vain.

I would finish this blog from this extract from Why I am an Atheist, showing the supreme sacrifice made by a great man, the greatest ever revolutionary ever. These lines also show the importance of selfless service to the nation, without expecting anything in return, not even Heaven!

"I am going to sacrifice my life for a cause. What more consolation can there be? A God-believing Hindu may expect to be reborn a king; a Muslim or Christian can dream of the luxuries he hopes to enjoy in paradise as a reward for his sufferings and sacrifices. What hope should I entertain? I know that it will be the end when the rope is tightened around my neck and the rafters moved from under my feet. To use more precise religious terminology- it will be my moment of utter annihilation. My soul will come to nothing. If I have the courage to take the matter in the light of 'Reward', I see that a short life of struggle with no such magnificent end shall itself be my 'Reward'. That is all. With no selfish motive or desire to be awarded here or hereafter, quite disinterestedly, have I devoted my life to the cause of independence, because I could not do otherwise."

- Bhagat Singh

Proud to be an Indian?

I went to buy the tickets of India vs England clash in the World Cup on Saturday. I was too excited for this match, just like any other Indian. I was hoping to see Sachin. Last time I went in Ind-Aus practice match and Sachin didn’t play in it. So this was probably my best chance to see him live. But Bangalore police had something else in stores for us.

For a stadium whose capacity is 45000, only 4000 tickets were issued for general public. More than 10000 strong crowds gathered in the stadium for tickets. As the tickets sold out in just a few minutes, the crowd got raged.  Result: lathicharge and a complete chaos. People broke barricades, hoardings etc. But more disgusting was the presence of agents with stocks of tickets in their hands. My brother went to the stadium on match day and same agents were selling Rs 1250 tickets for Rs 5000!

I had to return empty handed and disappointed. All my dreams were shattered. I was frustrated not only because I didn’t got tickets. Neither was I angry on the mismanagement of BCCI. What hurt me most was that democracy was being killed in front of my eyes and I could not do anything about it. This single incident shook my faith so much that I asked myself “Am I still proud to be an Indian?”

My heart said it was still proud. But my mind didn’t believe it. I could not think of even a single reason to be proud of India. Should one love and feel proud of his country just because its his motherland? Can you keep ignoring all the corruption, the dishonesty of your own people and the incompetency of your own elected representatives so that you can proudly boast about your country’s culture, moral and values? The answer is clearly NO.

It was then that I looked out of my window and saw merry kids going to school. I saw women selling flowers on the roadside, people hurrying towards office, roadside vendors selling tea and coconuts. Everyone was busy with himself/herself regardless of what happened a few kms away. One common thing I observed was a satisfaction on their face. And I knew my answer all of a sudden.

Yes, I am still proud of my country. Administration and politicians maybe one of the reasons to hate it, but I have a billion others to love it! I am proud of the country feeding 1.3 billion people every day.  I am proud of the opportunities that are provided to me and my fellow citizens to excel. I am proud of the freedom I enjoy. I am proud of the rights given to me. I am proud of the rich culture of the country. I am proud of being a part of the largest democracy and oldest civilization of the world. I am proud because I can follow any religion I like, can talk in any language, live in any part of the country and do any job. India doesn’t have a dual citizenship. So, I can migrate 2500 kms away from my home to pursue my dreams, and no one would make a fuss about it. And I am proud of that! I am proud of the diversity in culture, language, religion, geography, flora and fauna of my country. I am proud of the people of India who despite all the troubles and differences between themselves, live a happy, peaceful and satisfying life.

Its true that we cannot ignore the questions I put up earlier. But we must not forget that the politicians and administrators, corrupt agents, bureaucrats, Government employees, all comes from amongst us. They are the part of the society we live in. In fact, they are just the reflection of the society. If we stop buying tickets from corrupt agents and policemen, this practice would stop. Same is the case with other problems like bribery. When we pay a traffic policeman bribe in front of a kid, we show him a way to get things done in a faster and easier way. Thus, we all are the culprits. Its just that due to the public life of the politicians, and sometimes due to the magnitude of their scams, they get to lime light, while we escape. Unless we change ourselves, the system can never change. As Gandhiji said “Be the change you want the world to be”.

I would like to conclude this blog with these wonderful lines of a song by MJ.

“I am starting with the man in the mirror

I am asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clear

If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and make a change”

When I met Ajay Jadeja

I recently got an invitation to attend the 5^th Adidassler Sports Day of Udayan Care. It reminded me of the event last year, which I was fortunate enough to attend.

It was a cold January morning. Though it was not foggy, but it was chilly. I was going with the children in their bus. So, I had to reach Udayan Home by 7:30 am, and thus wake up at 7:00! So, I thought of taking a bath some other day, and just washed my face with the freezing waterJ. I reached there in time and the bus left for Delhi.

Around 1½ hrs of bus journey and we were there. Gr. NOIDA was the first home and I, the first volunteer to reach. All the children quickly engaged themselves in making the arrangements and practicing for the event. I, on the other hand, had no work to do and no one to talk! So I started to get extremely bored. The only respite was the hot coffee that proved like elixir in the cold. But this state didn’t lasted for long, as other homes also arrived and there was so much going on that you eventually would become busy, just watching them.

The children started the march-past practice with their respective home flags. It reminded me of my school days when we used to do the same with our house flags. Though the mentor of Gr. NOIDA home was a retired brigadier, the children lacked rhythm. None of their feet seemed to move in unity. As a sergeant in NCC, I was a little irritated by seeing them. I was also a little amazed at the quality of march that we used to do at the same age! So, instantly I thought of training them myself. But, I restrained myself from offering help as their PT teacher wouldn’t have approved it. I was becoming nostalgic, drowning in my childhood memories when suddenly chief guests arrived.

Then there was this usual rush and everyone was moving. There was an excitement in the air, especially for kids. Dr. Modi, the founder of Udayan Care, herself went to escort them. And there he was, my childhood hero, Ajay Jadeja, emerging from the gate with the CEO of Adidas (whose name I don’t remember). The moment for which the children were practicing finally came and march-past started. The children then lined up for the oath, which Jadeja presided. When the oath was over, all the guests took their seats. I quickly went to the second row and sat next to the brigadier’s daughterJ. But, I didn’t chose my seat because of her. Though she was beautiful, but also married and a brigadier’s daughter! I was not in the mood to suicide, by flirting her. I sat next to her because it was also next to Jadeja, in a sense. Actually, Jadeja and Mr. CEO were sitting in the front row and I was just behind them.

The performances and competitions started with a beautiful yoga show. I liked it even more because my favorite student Kanchan was in it! I slowly started interacting with my companion (brigadier’s daughter). I was glad that she was from Australia and weak in Hindi, so I didn’t had to call her Didi ;-). She told me about the life in Australia, the struggles of NRIs and the growing tensions in Indian community due to increasing attacks on them. She quickly added though that she was safe in Melbourne, as these attacks were not reported from Melbourne, which, strangely enough, gave me a feeling of satisfaction! Then she asked about myself and even appreciated me for working for such a noble cause. These words made me like flying in the air. But that plane crashed just after the take off. For, she asked the question that I feared the most.

She asked me who the chief guest is, as she couldn’t recognize him. I was amazed and said why; he is a famous Indian cricketer. She smiled and said she hadn’t seen him play. I told her that’s because he doesn’t play now. But, he is still young, she said. Then I fell dumb. Thought for a minute whether to tell her the truth? My concern was that Jadeja could easily overhear us. But I decided that she was a pretty woman and deserves the truth. So I whispered the reason for Jadeja’s expelling to her. She was dumb founded hearing that! Then we had not much to talk, so we indulged ourselves in games that were going on. She left about 10 minutes after that, leaving me alone.

Only when she had gone, I realized what big a moment for me it was. I remembered Jadeja playing for India when I was a kid. I remembered him winning matches for us. The thing I most liked about him was his cunning fielding and his ever smiling face. In a match against Pakistan, he deliberately misfielded a ball, so that Azhar could run the batsman out! He was my childhood hero, and there was a time when I liked him (and Robin Singh) more than even Sachin. I never ever dreamt of sitting just a foot away from him. So close that I could touch him just by extending my hand! But I was such a fool, that I didn’t even have a paper to get his autograph. I was getting desperate, because I knew he wouldn’t stay for long. Mrs. Neelam came to my rescue then. She gave me her day planner to get it autographed by Jadeja. I took it as an opportunity to get an autograph for myself as well. So, I went to him, shook his hands and introduced myself. Then I forwarded him the planner to sign. I requested him to give 2 autographs which he did without protest. Though I had no intention of doing so, I had to take Mr. CEO’s autograph as well. He got a bit irritated when I asked him to sign again. Still I thanked him politely. Guest is God after all.

There was not much to do and this excitement of sitting behind Jadeja eventually vanished. I started to get bored again. There was a soccer match between Ajay’s and Mr. CEO’s teams. Mr. CEO was injured in it and had to be carried to the car. I felt both relaxed and astonished at the same time. Relaxed, because it was like getting revenge from him (he became irritated with me)! And astonished to see the CEO of Adidas, the world’s leader in marking sportswear, getting hurt playing with kids!

Jadeja left soon after the match. There was only one event left for the day. The volunteers’ race. Now, I have never considered myself a good athlete. So, I tried to hide myself behind a pole. Somehow, the anchor, Urmila, got a glimpse of me. She also happened to know me. So, she announced everyone must be the part of this race, looking directly at me. The race thus became inevitable for me.

I put off my jacket, gave it to Mrs. Neelam, and got to the race tracks with heavy feet. There was a reason for this. My competitors included 2 Germans and an American, all more than 6 feet tall. To make the matters worse, it was decided that the race would be 200 mt, instead of 100 mt decided earlier. The whistle was blown and we all started. While I ran with all my energy, the Germans were slow to start. I would have taken a good lead, if someone had not fallen just ahead of me, breaking my pace. Once, I slowed to avoid him, everyone else gained momentum. After about 150 mts, I got extremely tired and slowed even more. The Germans had already finished the race till then. I was worried not to come last. To my pleasure, I saw 2 people running after me. I came about 20 secs after the winners, which were of course Germans. Indians were once again defeated on their own soil! The only respite was that an Indian volunteer came third and American was fourth. I was fourth from the last, as you might have guessed.

That race was the final competition for the day. Prizes were distributed and we had lunch. Then, we left for Gr. NOIDA. I was again going with children in their bus. But, this time a notorious kid of NOIDA home was sitting on my lap. It took us longer than usual in the return trip because we had gone via NOIDA home, dropping children there. We reached the Gr. NOIDA home in the evening. Though I was tired, I taught Neelam, a girl of class XII, who didn’t attended the event. I returned to my apartments (rented), at around 7:00 pm. The first thing I did was to show my roommates the autographs! That ended one of the best days of my life.

Thanks Udayan Care for giving me this opportunity!

India 2020: Can we achieve Kalam's dream?

Another December passed and we entered into yet another new year. This year bought with it a new and much anticipated decade. The decade, most of us were looking forward to. For it is at the end of this very decade that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had dreamt of India as a developed country. The question is whether we Indians have the potential to realize his dream?

The first thing that one considers is the economic growth of a country. With economy currently growing at 7% pa and projected rates of close to 9-10%, India along with China is expected to be the source of 34% of world’s wealth by 2020. Though it is far from the 50% of the world’s wealth that India and China had till 1775, but it still gives us hope. Today, India is second in IT, next only to USA. This is an important development factor considering that growth is driven by technology in today’s world. Indians working in MNCs enjoy a heavy pay with ever increasing packages. Indian stock markets are paying high dividends to investors. Indian consumer has now the potential to buy expensive and sometimes elusive items. This has forced global players to invest in India and thus helping the economy grow.

Indian infrastructure is also growing at a rapid pace with ambitious Governmental projects like Ganga Expressway, connecting Delhi to Baliya in East UP through a 4 lane highway, being implemented. With the historic RTE (Right to Education) Bill passed, we can expect an increase in no. of children going school. India has a good level of control over its banking system which is the key to any economy. With 20 nationalized bank, the government guarantees that our banking system would not fail. This is important in long term as a bankrupt bank can cause a national economic crisis, like in Ireland. This ensures that Indians can keep their hard earned money in safe hands. This also means that Indians can afford to buy homes and send their children for higher studies with the loan that these banks offer.

With vulnerable borders that we share with Pakistan and China, strong defense would also play a major role in development of country. India has 3^rd largest army, 5^th largest air force and 7^th largest navy. We have some of the world’s best defense systems and equipments. We are capable of striking missiles as far as 7000 kms with a nuclear war-head. We have world class fighter planes as Sukhoi MKI. Our navy has nuclear sub marines and our army can survive in the world’s highest war post in Siachen. So we can say that we have world class defense in place.

Thus we can conclude that India is growing fast. But does that mean that we can become developed by decade end? Let me share a story to answer this. It’s a true story of 13 year old boy named Anil. Anil lives in Ferozabad, UP. He lost his father few years ago and is survived by his mother and 5 younger siblings. Because of his father’s illness, they had to sell their house. Now Anil makes bangles for a living. He is the lone earner for his family of 7. He says that his hands burn sometimes, but he has no other option then to go on. He dreams of living in England where he is free from work and can go to school and play cricket. He also used to go to school, but had to drop out.

Welcome to the other half of the country, still known as Bharat!

The question of being a developed India cannot be answered without addressing the concerns of Bharat. In Bharat, nearly 80 million children are out of school, 700 million people live at less than 2$/day, nearly 380 million people are living below poverty line, 100 million youth are unemployed, 640 million don’t have permanent toilets, 170 million don’t have access to safe drinking water and 290 million don’t have access to basic health care, not even to medical stores. More than 600 million still have agriculture as their primary occupation and most of them don’t own land. New Year is just another day for them. Just like Anil, their day starts early in the morning and ends at 10:00-11:00 pm after toiling their bodies for whole day. And still they sleep hungry! (An estimated 250 million people in India sleep hungry).

There is a huge divide between the rich and poor in our country. There are Indians featuring in the Forbes and Times on one hand, and marginalized farmers living on a HDI (Human Development Index) less than the African countries on the other. Rich kids are becoming obese on one hand and poor children are forced to work as laborers on the other. Only 3% of Indian population invests in share markets and more than 35% live below poverty line!

Being a developed nation would remain a dream if we cannot bridge this gap. Development cannot happen without the inclusive growth of each individual in country. Sometimes I wonder that if all the governmental policies are properly implemented, we would be out of the shackles of poverty in maximum a decade. We have RTE and Mid-Day meal schemes, which can take care of both education and mal nutrition. Then, there is NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), which can take care of unemployment. We have Rajiv Gandhi Avas Yojna that can take care of homeless. And in a matter of years, all this combined with the efforts of common people can eradicate poverty completely. Our nation could once again become a “golden sparrow”!

But, due to the unwillingness of both government and common people, all these policies do not reach the poor. The benefits of a developing India do not trickle down to Bharat. Thus, we remain poor and developing. I sometimes contrast India to Japan, a country devastated by war. But, in the same duration of 60 years Japan not only developed but also became a leader of the world in technology. Why can’t we achieve the same? The answer lies perhaps in the mindset of Indian people. While Japanese worked collectively with a sense of nationalism, Indians became invidualists with nationalism diminishing. Most of the Indians simply do not care about the society and country as a whole, and hence don’t act. Others think that nothing can be changed and lack motivation to act.

It thus becomes a duty for people like us, the empowered (privileged) youth of India to take initiative to make Kalam’s dream true. All it requires is a little time and effort. As someone has rightly said that we can change the world by doing a small act of random kindness (ARK) everyday. So Indians, celebrate New Year with full zeal, but at least spare a thought for Bharat as well. Jai Hind!