Harassment Unlimited!

You go to buy a product in India, the salesmen in the shop will treat you as the queen of England. Four people will hover around you, they will ask you for coffee or cold drink and the rest! And if the product you are buying is a big electronic item, such as refrigerator, microwave or a television set, the pampering from the sales guys is all the more.
However, once the item is sold, the same company service centre and its representatives will harass you to no end! It seems they get some kind of vicarious pleasure in seeing you getting irritated and feeling hassled, so they delay everything and take their own sweet time.
I have been undergoing a similar kind of experience for last four-five days. My refrigerator (Samsung) has developed shome short circuit and it is making the main switch of the electricity connection trip every time the refrigerator is turned on.
Now one can imagine how frustrating it may be to have a non-functional refrigerator in this hot and humid climate. We have to be careful how much food we buy or cook so that it is finished in one sitting. we buy milk and finish it in one go before it is off. We are not getting cold water and worst of all - we had to use the refrigerator of our neighbour to keep some essential medication, required to be kept under refrigeration at all times.    
We called the Samsung centre and do not step out of the house waiting for the mechanic. After 4-5 calls and 10-15 hours of wait, finally the mechanic comes and does what all mechanics do in India - use their best practised and usual trial and error method! Fiddle with a few wires, change a small part, make the machine somehow start, and make you shell out some money. I was happy that at least the refrigerator started.
But my happiness did not last long. The machine could not cope with the small part changed by the mechanic (which I don't think was the real problem to start with) and it was silent and dark again.
Now the series of calling the Samsung starts - 20 calls in one day - we again do not move out again - wait for the mechanic to come. The whole day passes waiting for him. Again, after 10-20 calls, a little bit of shouting and long hours of wait, the mechanic comes again.
I am still not sure if he understands the problem!
I also do not know if he will be able to sort it!!!
So, the question arises - why aren't these mechanics go to school to learn about these machines?
Why are they given 'on the job' training?
Why do they learn by trial and error?
Why do these call centre executives lie through their teeth?
When will we have proper after sale service in this country?
When will a customer will always be a king/queen even after he/she has purchased the item???
When????
          

Inhumane Humanity

For last three days, every morning the newspapers are reporting crime which depicts the intolerant, inconsiderate and insensitive face of the humanity.

* A worker stabbing the boss with a pair of scissors because the boss fired the worker.

* A minor girl was taken from an orphanage and raped.

* Ten people including 3 children died due to electric shock from cooler.

* The angry mob attacking a government officer so badly that he lost one of his eyes.  

* A boy commits suicide because his parents scolded him for smoking.

* A speeding truck killed a retired government officer.

* Miscreants set ablaze a woman after raping her. 

These are only a glimpse of what is going on in more or less all the state of India. The mornings leave me sad and depressed. I am miffed thinking as to what kind of era we are living in? where is the Indian culture (of which, we keep ranting, we are so proud of) gone? What has gone wrong with humanity? Where are we heading to? Are we retrograding instead of moving forward? Where are the values like patience, tolerance, respect, consideration, affection and courtesy gone?

Aren't such happenings disturbing enough to shake people up!!!

Many may find me anti-national but every morning when I read the newspapers and spot such gory, barbaric and shameful incidents, I feel like we are cursed to have been born in such a nation - or to have reached such a time when human values have no meaning - when money and power has made people resort to animal like behaviour.  

I have no answer, no solution and no remedy for this situation but I am just expressing my anguish with my friends!

If anyone out there has a solution, please come forward. I will be more than willing to do my bit to bring a change in our society - improve the human nature and bring back our old values, which we cherished as our heritage till now. 

Making Lucknow A World Class City!

A pull-out with the national English daily 'Hindustan Times', today, talks about various features of Lucknow as a modern and 21st century city. It feels good to read some stalwarts writing for the special pages and talking about the city we all feel so proud of!

But, honestly, have we left the city worth being proud of?
Increasing cases of eve-teasing, harassment of common citizens in public offices, cacophony of shrill and indiscriminate honking, blazing and blinding lights lights of vehicles, unruly traffic and irrational overtaking, misbehaving police, pain-stained office walls, overflowing dustbins (even at the posh most market areas, such as Hazratganj), pile of rubbish in every corner, and the rest!
If all this was not enough, even the culture of 'pehle aap' ('after you') is fast turning into 'me first'.
Haven't we turned the city into a mini uncultured and uncouth Delhi where people are judged by the labels they wear or the car they get out from, and where people have no qualms in pushing others in order to make their way!
The newspapers daily report of some incident in the city which shames all of us - be it an MLA's son snatching an advocates car, or a pervert taking pictures of girls travelling in autos!
And we all blame either the government or someone else for the falling values and the chaos around us.
In fact, the city has been hijacked by a bunch of bureaucrats and politicians - originally the public servants and the people's representatives - who display no respect for the common citizens.
The most deafening sound of horns comes from the cars which have blue or red beacon on top of them. The glaring light at night is from an official car of a bureaucrat or a politician, which blinds the ordinary citizen driving his humble small car. The only vehicles which one can spot parked with pride at the 'no parking' areas are those of either government officers or of politicians. All those vehicles which refuse to follow the traffic rules are, not surprisingly, the official cars.
Its high time we Lucknow residents need to stop and introspect - where and what went wrong and which are the possible ways we can improve the city and bring it back to its past glory - it may require educating the bureaucrats and politicians or taming their drivers.
This is not all, the authorities as well as the public needs to start respecting the tourism destinations in the city and all across the state. while authorities can ensure better and proper publicity of so many beautiful getaways, Uttar Pradesh has to offer, the public should learn to keep our state and city clean.
Also, the authorities have to learn now that rules are for everyone - irrespective of the allegiance of a person who flouts them.

The day we curtail the culture of accepting bribe from autos and letting them stop anywhere, or charging daily fee from the small kiosks and letting them encroach the footpath, or allotting the contract for parking (to powerful man linked to politicians) at pavements or places where there should not be any parking, or letting the bigger and  mightier get away when they break rules (the list is exhaustive), we will be taking the first step to bring Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh on a world map.
And it requires efforts from each one of us!  

 
            
    

The Condom Culture!

As many would have feared, the Narendra Modi-led Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government in India has started its moral policing. The Union Health Minister Mr Harsh Vardhan has asked the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to slow down on promotion of condoms but push culture instead to curtail the infection from spreading.

The diktat is matter of concern! Two issues relating to the order should be paid attention to.

One: As the NACO too has understood and clarified that commercial sex workers (CSW) and men having sex with men (MSM) cannot be taken under the purview of the order as "morals won't catch their attention" - which means by promoting cultural values, we are conveying a message that it is an immoral and illegal act when CSWs indulge in sex with their clients or when MSMs follow their sexual preference.

The other aspect of this point is that sex is a totally personal issue. Just like a person cannot be compelled to like a certain food or follow any particular religion as both are personal choices of a man or woman, similarly sex is a personal choice and an adult man or woman should be free to decide his or her preference for a partner.

The cultural values what parents pass on to their children decide if that child on growing up will have multiple partners or have sex with other than his or her own partner. Preaching a grown up man or woman with this moral will hardly make a difference. So, what is required at the moment is to inculcate high morals in our children, rather than taming the adults.  
       
Two: Second part of the issue is the existing pattern of advertising for condoms. Most of the advertisements on television these days present condom as a mean to enhance the sexual pleasures. Nowhere the advertisement mentions that it protects the couple from catching HIV infection or any reproductive tract infection or sexually transmitted infection (RTI/STI).

These advertisements do not speak about family planning, either. A country with an overflowing population - where no development can be felt due to number of people or where the roads are bursting to the seams due to ever-increasing users, isn't it necessary to promote the use of condom to check the growth of population or for spacing in children to ensure better for the mother?

Whilst doing case studies on HIV/AIDS, I have met many men, especially truckers or migrating population, whose testimonies emphasised on the importance of condom for checking the spread of HIV/AIDS and RTI/STI, and also curbing the unwanted pregnancies.

It would have been a laudable initiative had the Union Health Minister asked the advertisers to change their style and focus more on health and population with the use of condom than on adding to carnal pleasures!
     

Single Mother - An Invisible Parent

At last, there is at least one government agency that has recognised the mother as a parent of her children. Also, the agency has shown some sensitivity to single mothers, who may be unwed, divorced, widowed or separated.

It elated me to the hilt when I read a news story in today's newspaper, according to which the University Grants Commission (UGC) - a statutory body set up by the Indian government in 1956 to coordinate, regulate and maintain the standards of university education - has asked varsities and affiliated degree colleges to include 'mother's name' in all the testimonials of students - ranging from application forms to degrees and certificates.

As a single parent of my children for last twenty years, I never got this honour of being recognised as their parent. Despite the fact that I was bringing up my two children all alone, fending for them while working 10-12 hours a day, I was always devoid of this honour.

The honour went to the father who was not even aware of his children's whereabouts.

From junior schools to their colleges, every time I was filling up a form, I was forced to write the name of my children's father even though his contribution in parenting was nil. He was neither physically nor financially present in our lives.      

Many a times I raised my voice against this bias - I tried to explain that he is no more with us and it is me who is bringing up my children - physically, financially, emotionally, mentally and in all other possible ways.
Yet, I failed to convince the male chauvinists sitting behind the counters that I also can be the parent of my children, and my role can also extend and go beyond giving them birth. No one was ready to officially acknowledge the active role of a mother in parenting.

And he, who had no presence in his children's lives, his name continued to mock and stare at us from all documents. The children grew up with their father's name as their parent, who was permanently absent from their lives. I remained an invisible parent.

Gradually, as they grew they applied for passports and driving licences, and the same pattern continued - "Father's name".

I kept slogging and sacrificing and he carried on having the honour of being the parent of my children.

Now was the time when children also resented writing their father's name. The realisation was strong that there was no father but the mother was playing father and mother both. They also started arguing - "it is my mother who has brought us up and looks after us then why should we write the father's name"? However, their argument, obviously, fell on deaf ears.

Now, UGC has finally realised the embarrassment and frustration the single mothers like me must have gone through in their lives. Though the decision is late and too little as the same recognition is required at all the places, everywhere, in every form we fill up.      

You ain't allowed, if your name is not in the list!

Who says I am an Indian citizen?

I have only the following documents to prove my citizenship:
A valid passport issued by the Government of India!
A valid driving licence, issued by the Government of India!
A Permanent Account Number (PAN), issued by the Government of India!
A Voter Identity Card, issued by the Government of India!

These documents we keep so securely and use, as and when required, to prove our identity
But the same documents become useless pieces of paper if you name is not in the Voters' List!

I agree that to cast your vote, one has to have one's name in the Voters' List. But, in case one's name does not appear in the Voters' List for any reason, shouldn't there be a provision to check the person's identity and get the name included in the list, if the person is able to show all valid ID proofs?

The Election Commission has been making claims to have gone totally high-tech and is using all means to encourage and motivate the voters to cast their vote. Not having one's name in the Voters' List is not the fault of the voter.

These lists are prepared by the paan chewing clerical staff of the government, which reaches office not before 11 a.m., then goes for morning tea for an hour, and before they start working, its already lunch time for them. A list, which is being made manually, may have flaws by all means, for which the voter should not suffer.

The argument given to me is that I should have checked my name in the list. So, tell me how do I suppose that my name would automatically be struck off the list? I never go to Income Tax office to tell them that I am alive but name is there in the tax payers list. If I take a loan from a bank and don't pay for five years, still the list of defaulters has my name, its not struck off. So, if the government has issued a Voter Card to me (in 2007) my name should have been in the list! But, it is not!!!

What my point is that in this age of internet, the Election Commission should evolve a system where if a person, whose name is not in the Voters' List, presents his/her valid IDs, his/her name is added then and there and that person is allowed to cast his/her vote.

If we cannot do this much, we have no right to call ourselves a nation living in the 21st Century. If everything has been made so high-tech, why can't we have a system to include those voters who have voters cards but their names have been struck off the list.

I felt so disheartened today! It seems like my own country has disowned me despite me carrying several proofs to confirm my citizenship, only because my name was not in the list!!!

 

Skewed Intolerance!

"More bomb blasts in India than in Afghanistan".
Along with Pakistan and Iraq, India accounts for almost 75 per cent of blasts in the world".
This was the headline in one of the newspapers today, which obviously portrays how tolerant we are!

However, the paradox is that Indians are becoming intolerant enough to even kill someone....

What made me think think like this was a news story that appeared a few days back. The story (dismissed in just two paragraphs) narrated the incident in which a boy was shot dead in an incident of road rage. The incident took place in Delhi, the capital. The poor fellow had committed a crime of overtaking the vehicle of the spoilt brats of some rich and mighty. The brats took out their pistols and shot several rounds until the boy was dead. There was no follow up of the story.

Another story that shook me was of a woman, who was killed by her husband, in Assam. Her crime was to be overwhelmed on seeing Rahul Gandhi in person and giving a peck on his cheeks.  

Even today I read two stories from Uttar Pradesh, that displayed the intolerant behaviour of our fellow Indians: A band master was killed at a marriage ceremony only because he did not play the tune desired by a person, who incidentally happened to be a government employee. In another case, a DJ (Disc Jockey) playing at a wedding was beaten black and blue with sharp weapons only because some people did not like the song he played.

This intolerance amazes me to no end! Reason: The same Indians have easily tolerate when they spot a person easing him/herself on the roadside, spitting paan (betel leaves) at corners of any public building, littering parks and other public places, stealing electricity, not paying their taxes or loud music being played in the middle of the night.

Interestingly, there are laws which prohibit such acts, yet no one reacts!

This makes me think aloud as to which era we are living in? Why can we be so angry to beat a person for not playing the desired song and why cannot it ignites a reaction when we spot a person peeing on the road?

I fail to find a rationale behind this skewed intolerance!!! Does anyone have an explanation???  

Its a matter of dignity of people!

World Toilet Day - 19 November.
At least there was one Chief Minister in India who dared to talk about toilets on World Toilet Day. The Bihar chief Minister Nitish Kumar declared that people who do not have toilets in their houses will not be allowed to contest the Panchayat or Local Body elections. For this he would make all efforts to get the changes done in the Panchayat and Local Body Election rules.
The dare is more than welcomed in a country where ministers have been bashed up badly just because they talked about toilets. First it was Union Minister Jairam Ramesh who said we need more toilets than temples. His lines were recently repeated by the Prime Ministerial candidate of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Narendra Modi, who advocated 'Devalaya se pehle shauchalaya' (toilets before temples).
Then there is one state - Uttar Pradesh - one of the worst performing state as far as sanitation is concerned, where ministers and bureaucrats nonchalantly avoided speaking on the toilet issue. A few organisations like WaterAid, FANSA (Freshwater Action Network South Asia) along with some local NGOs organised an event and invited the Panchayati Raj Minister, who simply sent a regret message and avoided the programme. Even bureaucrats from various departments concerned stayed away from the event.
Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh is a state where only about 35 per cent households have toilets, of which nearly 32 per cent toilets are lying defunct, which leaves merely 3 per cent households using the toilets.
The figure is horrifying and re-creates the early morning scenario, which is usual for any Indian though it shocks any foreigner visiting the country for the first time. The scene is - men and women squatting near railway lines or both sides of the highways releasing themselves in the open. Every time a vehicle or a train passes, they stand up and resume their natural call once the road or railway track is empty.
India is a country where, according to the latest Joint Review Mission 2013 report, nearly 60 per cent population is going to the open fields for defecation. In rural areas the percentage is even bigger.
Yet, in this country, talking about toilets is considered low. The decision makers avoid being seen at places where people are talking about toilets. They refrain from speaking about toilets.
These days noted film star Amir Khan has been figuring in a government campaign which is telling people not to use roadsides as toilets. He also asks the audience to think about the fact what the visitors to our country would be thinking about us if we do so.
But the question is: where should one go if he/she has to go when there are no public facilities in the shopping areas in the cities or on highways?
Even the posh localities and building, where the rich and mighties live, there are no toilets for the drivers and house workers, who serve the sahebs the whole day. So, they end up using all the corners and unused rooftops.
The suggestion is that apart from teaching people the civilised  behaviour, we need to ensure that there are enough public facilities, which are clean and functional to be used by all. This would be possible only when there is a political will in our politicians and there is enough respect for the dignity of every individual, irrespective whether poor or rich, rural or urban.
But, will it happen? And, if it happens, how long will it take?
India is the worst performing state right now where a maximum number of people are defecating in the open - 50 per cent of world's total population defecating in the open is in India.
The situation should be taken as alarm bells by the government which thinks its duty is over once the toilets are constructed or the money is released for the toilets. What the government need to ensure is - construction of toilets and ensure their use; releasing money and then physically verifying if it has been used properly; consulting the local people before constructing the toilet so that to ensure its use; and lastly and most importantly work with communities for changing the behaviour and age old practices.
I hope someone is listening and is ready to take the situation by hand and bring a change before it is too late!!!      


    

Dying Young!

Two brief news items in one of the Hindi newspapers today, made me sad and left me thinking  - A young girl was coming back from gym when she was ran over by three buses, one after another, in Mumbai. The girl obviously died on the spot. A young boy was coming back from school and was crushed by a speeding train while he was walking down a railway crossing. He too died.
There were two similarities in these tragic deaths - both the girl and the boy were young and both were using their headphones attached to their phones. What a colossal loss of human resource and a lifelong pain for the parents!
The news reminded me of an article "Cellphone Kills", in the Reader's Digest, which I read long time back. Then there are cases regularly being reported and studies frequently being done too tell the world about the harms of using phones on the road - be it by a pedestrian or by a driver. These reports also reveal as to how many lives can be saved only by not using the phone when on the road. According to these reports more than 75,000 people die every year in India in road accidents and more than 25 per cent of these deaths are preventable if basic traffic rules are followed by drivers and a common vigilance is adopted by the pedestrians.
But do these figures sound an alarm bell? At least not to those who claim that they find the best time to talk on phone when they are driving; or those who claim to be cool because they are not bothered about the world and are busy in their favourite music even when they are walking!
In India, wearing  seat belt in the car is below dignity (some pretend to entangle the belt when approaching a  traffic signal fearing the presence of the cop. Wearing a helmet is an ordeal and most of the  riders prefer to keep the gadget hanging, some riders just put it on their heads as caps. Others put it on their head to fool the cop.
Talking on mobile phone when driving is a common phenomenon, here. And, if you tell the driver of the car not to use the phone he would certainly take an offence as this means you have challenged his driving skills! He is a competent driver and that is why he can talk on phone and drive.
Same is the case with pedestrians - they feel they are safe since it is only the vehicles which meet with accidents.
Bikers, scooterists, car drivers, lorry drivers, and pedestrians - for all of them - those few minutes or hours on the road are the most important times of their life when they have to finish the business and close the deals. Whereas the reality is that most of these law breakers are most of the times late for their appointments, delay their work and are never able to finish their work on time.
Then why this rush!  
People need to understand that it is not cool to talk on phone and drive but cool is to pull over and take the call. It is not cool to be using headphones while walking on the but cool is to be vigilant and follow the rules laid for the pedestrians - like crossing the road when its signal for you - looking before crossing - not trying to cut across the traffic flow - walking on the pavement and so on.
It is not cool to neglect the rules which are not to make the law makers or cops happy but cool is to follow all the rules which have been formulated for our safety.
Whether it is seat belt or helmet or a strict ban on telephone use - following these norms not only ensures our safety, it tells that we are considerate about the lives of other as well.
I wish the day comes when young and old everyone starts finding it cool to follow the law and abide by the rules!
  

Legislations? NOT for Legislators!

Laws are not meant for those who make them. This is true at least in Indian context. Here, the makers of law feel small if they are asked to follow the normal legal procedures which every other mortal Indian follows. The so full of ego politicians of this country have now gone a step ahead and want the world to comply the norms they have set for themselves here.
First it was the temperamental minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Mr Azam Khan, who is better known for his  tantrum-throwing nature, who felt insulted when questioned at one of the US airports. Another minister, Mr Shivpal Yadav  followed suit and refused an "invite" to go to the US because the country dared to let Mr Azam Khan go through the normal security ordeal.
Then there was the Speaker Uttar Pradesh state assembly Mr Mata Prasad Pandey who cancelled the visit of a delegation of legislators to the US, fearing security check.
Now its Meira Kumar, the Speaker of Indian Parliament who has refused a trip to Ukraine because the country had the guts to refuse her appeal to exempt her self and colleagues from the normal security check.
The question is - why the Indian politicians are so sensitive about going through the normal security process?  
A simple answer is - their big ego!
The answer may be simple but it is loaded with concerns.
This attitude of our politicians has extended to their relatives and other near and dear ones, like a contagious disease. Anyone in India, who is even remotely related or linked to any politician aspires and demands the same status as his `almighty politician friend, colleague, relative, malik or whatever'.
This also explains the rising number of crime against women, a northward graph of kidnapping and murders and also the intermittent tomb blasts and terrorist attacks in the country. And, despite having laws for all such crime, the nation had been unable to curb anyone of them. It is not UPA government or NDA government - whose failure it is. It can be any government and the situation will be the same.
The criminals (in most cases having links with the 'lords') are confident that law cannot harm them. The most alarming part of this problem is the fact that irrespective of whether or not these patrons of criminals are in power, they have the clout to call the shots, especially when it comes to save their criminal alliances.
So, that leaves all legal procedures for the lesser mortals - and in this case it is the ordinary citizen of India. The legislators, when making the legislations, are well aware that it is not for them or for those close to them (who may be committing the crime).
One last question - what is the harm in going through the security check in a country, which (unlike India) is trying to follow its security norms strictly? And which is trying to protect its citizens from untoward incidents!
The flip side of the whole issue is that the day our (Indian) politicians start behaving like any other citizen of the country, and start following and respecting the law they have made for their people, most of the crime and chaos related problems will automatically will be sorted in this nation. But it will never happen for the simple reason that the Indian legislation is not meant for Indian legislators!