Beggars and begging in India..

Last month we planned a trip to Agra with this Dutch friend of ours and what I saw after we came out from Red fort was quite astounding. Bunch of guys were pleading to our Dutch friend to buy something from them even if he was not interested and none of them were  approaching us to sell their items. There were some beggars as well who just didn’t want to go away from the sight even after making them realize that he is with us. Finally our friend had to give in and bought a couple of items from one of them. But it does not stop here, as he buys memorabilia from the guy, fellow sellers barged into the car and started pretending that they are selling the items in much lowers prices than they usually sell to other ‘foreign’ travelers. Now one thing was quite amusing to me was their accent. They were speaking in rather much better accent and were directing to him only and none of them cared that we were also there. Now this tells that money can make you do anything, yeah anything. This is just a small example.

Now, that just got me thinking, how does a foreigner attracts more sellers than fellow Indians who understand the language better? May be he is a better customer, may be they can fool them? They start a 50 rs item in whopping price of roughly 1500 and then the buyer tries to half it thinking he is clever. But is he?  And doesn’t it tell you a thing or two about our culture.

Now coming to the begging part, what I think is, that foreigners accentuate the problem of begging in India, because for them giving a rupee or two or sometimes a ten rupee note is not a big thing (and this entails them to deride Indians by deducing that India is still a poor country and full of beggars) but what they don’t realize is that they are breeding an unpopular culture here. This problem can be abated if not eradicated if foreign travelers are advised at the airport itself not to give any money to beggars and if they are so interested in throwing largesse they should rather donate in some NGOs.

Few days back I saw a kid at metro at around 10:30 PM stymieing a lady, he was coming in her way when ever she tried to walk ahead putting her in an embarrassing situation. We rebuked the kid then only he left the lady and later we found out that he was drunk.

Begging has become a profession in some families who just want to continue their family business despite having resources to make their own life. May be this is easy or may be they don’t want to work hard.

Beggars operate in a very organized manner; they have a certain territories which they can not cross. And that is why you might have noticed that if you don’t give money they will accompany you to certain place and then will walk away and will find another victim.

If you didn’t know, begging is a crime in India but then isn’t drunk driving also a crime? But who cares the law as long as we can get away with it. We should wake up to reality sooner than later.

The offense of begging comes under prevention of begging act. It is a state law and differs from state to state. In Delhi The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959 is applicable which deals with the penalty or detention of beggars for the offense of begging. Not just begging but if you are giving money to the beggar it is a crime too.

So from next time whenever you see a firang giving money to beggars just stop them there and then.

It really hurts seeing infants begging, teenagers working in hotels and innocents getting trafficked.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Good Morning, Have a nice day!

Nature’s fury in Uttarakhand

You can never defy two things: Nature and death. Absolute truth!

Isn’t it? Rather you should be better prepared and equipped to tackle these calamities. After more than a week people are still stranded at the sight. Isn’t it blow to NDMA? Why to make a body if their job is just to give speeches? We wake up only when the damage has already been done? Shouldn’t rescuing people be their top priority and they can do the post mortem (politics) later? And like always finally we have to ask army and they never ever disappoint us, they are the REAL heroes. Whether it is Mumbai attack or this, they are the ones who never show the back!

Also this incident tells a thing or two about us. I heard that locals were selling a bottle of water at rs 250 and a packet of glucose biscuit at rs 400. This tells that we Indians never let any opportunity go away even in hardest times! Politicians also come from the same society. Now you can very well understand what I intend to say here.

One more thing I would like to say about journalists. While I respect their coverage (at times because of them things/operation get expedited) but shouldn’t they be little sensible in reporting? We do empathize with the bereaved family but there is no need to be sensational all the time and talking with people who are in grief. This is not the time to score points but to shave people that are still stranded at the sight. You can also do your bit apart from reporting.

With little bit of interest in politics I have understood that ki “Har cheej ke do pahlu hote: Congress pahul and BJP pahlu”.

If tragedy happens in Chhatisgarh Congress and BJP will have different view point and if it happens in Uttaranachal, BJP and Congress will have different point of views! Let’s keep this for some other time.

I really pray and hope that those stuck in there are rescued and no more lives is taken.

Wimbledon roundup..

Here we are again, it is Wimbledon time it is grass time!

Wimbledon announced its seeding on Wednesday, main draw will be announced on Friday and real action starts from Monday.

Though I didn’t understand how come a 12 time Grand Slam winner could not find a place in top four. If the rule needs a tweaking it should be tweaked to make the game more interesting. It off course doesn’t affect Nadal or anyone who plays any player in Quarter or Semifinal because one should be able to beat anyone participating in the tournament to finally lift the coveted trophy but it does affect the spectators. Nobody will want a dead rubber in the finals. Had Rafa and Novak played in French Open finals rather than Semifinals wouldn’t it have made a better viewing for all the sports lovers? As we say that at the end of the day every sports person plays for their fans and spectators.

Also if Wimbledon doesn’t follow the ATP ranking for its seeding why did they seed David Ferrer above Nadal when the latter destroyed the former in straight sets just a couple of days back. Ok, that Nadal got ousted in the second round last year by a 100^th ranked player but hasn’t he already won 2 trophies here and a very handsome 43-2 record (9 out of 9 finals with 7 titles) this year after his 7 months injury lay off and also has winning record against all top four Novak, Roger, Andy and David.

In the French Open as well where he had 7 trophies (Prior to Rollan Garros’13) didn’t get any favor so he had to win Rome and also had to beat Ferrer in QF which he did by his own to get seeded ahead of him in French Open.

So all said and done about seeding, who is it going to be this time to kiss the Wimbledon trophy? Will it going to be the world no 1 or the defending champion or home favorite boy or lucky 13 for indomitable Nadal?

Action begins on 24^th, so let’s sit back and enjoy the tennis in coming 2 weeks.

Questionnaire..

I have been missing my questionnaire round so here I come again.

Q: What are your thoughts on Kejriwal’s movement?

A: I have been watching recent political developments very closely. What I have seen very fascinating about this moment is the kind of response it is getting across the nation. Hope Kejriwal and co doesn’t loose the focus and Kejriwal doesn’t develop certain amount of love for grandeur.

Q: Do you think the politicians made irresponsible comment by choice or they are like that only?

A: Sometimes I do think that they make these comments to hog some attention but I also concede that sometimes they are misquoted and media, social media does the rest.

Q: Is Dhoni the best captain India has ever had?

A: I don’t think so. If you consider in periods then may be he is the best in recent times but what Dada did to team India and infused confidence in younger lot is very noteworthy. His leadership was inimitable.

Q: Should Sachin Tendulkar have played little longer in ODI format?

A: I certainly think so. He should have played against Pakistan but then this is His decision and we can question that. But as a player he has more to offer to Indian cricket.

Q: Do you think players don’t perform on purpose?

A: Now that is baseless. You can’t question one’s integrity. We can comment anything sitting outside but what they go through after loses is surely not a happy feeling.

Q: Whom you are putting your money on in coming Australian Open?

A: As Rafael Nadal is not there so will be cheering for Roger and Maria.

Q: How tough or easy it is from Kolkata to Gurgaon?

A: Just too cold, freezing cold but good to listen Hindi all around.

Q: Are the reactions from celebrities after every unfortunate incident just for a minute or do they genuinely care about common people?

A: That I can’t say, but it does feel good if they also voice their opinion rather than keeping mum.

Q: How to make the world a better place to live in?

A: Live and let live, help others and smile.

Q: What are your ambitions?

A: I myself don’t know. May be to own an IPL team :D

Q: Which party is better, Congress or BJP or do we need a third option?

A: I have seen it from close quarter, No party is best or worst, there are some individual in both the parties along with media who make it good or bad. Aur jaha tak third front ki baat hai I think it will never happen.

In the hopes of reaching the moon, never fail to see the flowers that blossom at feet.

 

Have a nice day :)

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all blog friends a very happy and healthy new year. Had lovely New Year with family after a long long time. On this New Year day let’s pledge to work for better tomorrow, free of corruption and crime. Hope you do something good that will make you proud, your family proud, your Alma matter proud and your nation proud. 

May you get what you want and may all your wishes come true!

Is the Police really to blame for?

For the last few days I have been thinking after this horrific and unfortunate incident that unfolded in Delhi, is the Police really to blame for?

I will talk about in generality and not on this specific incident that outraged the whole nation.

What kind of life a policeman lives?
He is selected by some strange methods, put on training and then given duty on some desolate area completely unfamiliar to him with 'meager salary’ and miles away from his family. He has to first understand how things work because he has to deal with public on hourly basis unlike most public figures.

A policeman life isn’t just restricted to protect public, but he has to first please the local politician there, then his superior then comes the public. So it’s not that simple that if a complaint is registered, they quickly start to act. They first have to check against whom the complaint is registered, if he is a tall figure in the locality obviously they can’t act against him. They have to find a method to come to truce where matter isn’t dragged any longer.

Secondly, a policeman doesn’t have much power to straight away act to the crime reported; they have to follow long procedure and etc. that is why they refrain to use their cognizance at times.

Third, their salary is not very handsome and apart from that they get regular transfer leaving their family alone so now he has to run two homes parallely. They don’t have much life either. When we are celebrating festive season they are there away from home to protect us so that everything goes peacefully.

I think the system needs some change and need some police reform to work closely with public so justice is given quickly without any delay every time.

Have a lovely day!

Rapes happen because we allow them to happen!

A girl is gang raped in the capital city, its debated in all news channels and in Parliament, there are reactions from everyone including bollywood biggies, bureaucrats, CEOs of the companies and politicians. Bollywood personalities seem to have intense discussion on social networking sites but at the end of the day what happens we all know it. Opposition gains the mileage, TV gets the coverage and celebs gains some new followers.

I fail to understand whether this is the problem of society or is it because of lack of proper administration.

It is not like if girl is wearing traditional attire is safe, these perpetrator don't see whether its night or day, what is she wearing, whether she is alone or having some company, they will try to accost the girl because they know nothing can happen to them.

Why don't our politicians act in unison when such gruesome crime happens against women, I want every MP to stand united irrespective of any party. If FDI in multibrand retail is important then women safety is equally important too!

Hanging, parading around the city, stoning and castrating wouldnt help, we need stringet laws, better enforcement.

I think the biggest problem in this country is politics. If some incidents happens in Bihar, Laloo would try to gain mileage, if it happens in West Bengal, left will play dirty politics, if it is in UP, Mayawati wouldnt spare and if it is in Gujarat, Congress will get another chance to target Modi. In every case it is politicize first, stirred to the core and then we wait for the result which is never going to come because of these protracted hearing in courts.

I think rape is more hienous and horrible than a murder. Murder happens because there is tension between two groups and it can be resolved but rape cant be prevented because such is the mental state of the (coward) people.

This is such a crime where victim faces the repercussion and not the accused. This should be stoped and everything should be done to protect the women of our society.

Hope when I wake up in the morning, I dont see another such story in the newspaper.
Good Night, stay blessed!

Life Of Pi

This is a movie based on the novel written by Yann Martel. The book is in my list since a long time but havent got a chance to read.

The movie starts with a small village in South India where Pi’s father has a zoo in Ponducherry. Due to some reasons his father decides to shifts to Canada with some animals from the zoo. They start their journey with Japanese ship but a storm hits the ship and it sinks. While everyone is sunk with the ship, Pi is the only one who is saved and finds himself with a Tiger, Hyena and Zebra in a life boat. He fights for his life and does everything to keep the tiger alive as well because he knows if tiger doesn’t get anything to eat that will be his last day. But gradually they (tiger and Pi) start understanding each other. Finally they reach the coast of the sea. While Tiger disappears in the Jungle, Pi was taken to the hospital by the people who want to know how the ship sank.

It’s so invigorating, it makes you glued to screen. It’s more or less like Cast Away in the middle. In Cast Away Tom Hanks is stranded alone at the sea sore but in Life of Pi, Suraj Sharma (Pi) is with the tiger.

Script is good though it is little slow in the middle. If you are an adventurous then this is the film for you.

Some dialogues from the movie

No one knows about religion until someone introduces it to us.

Religion is darkness.

Hunger teaches what we never knew about ourselves.

And above all – Don’t lose hope.

I will go with 3.5 out 5 for this amazing adventurous movie.

Happy Weekend!

Pistanthrophobia

‘Rahiman Dhaga Prem ka, Mat todo chitkay.

Tute se fir na jude, jude gaanth pad jaye’

The Doha by Rahim is not only true for love, its equally true for trust as well. Once the line is broken its hard to keep the faith rejuvenated.

Its not only in the case of love relationship, the fear of trust sometimes forbids to make friends, to get acquainted with strangers. We feel scared of sharing things because we always fear if the person might share it with someone else whom we don’t want them to know. It can happen with parents, with colleagues, with lovers and with friends as well. Sometimes kids develop this phobia at a very early age which makes them hard to talk to any unknown person even for the sake of their own good.

This generally happens when we have a bad experience in the past and that haunts us in future as well. We must choose our friends carefully and have full faith and this should be from the both sides. We should never break anyone’s trust because in the world everything can be recovered but lost trust is irreparable. It takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair. 

"You can complain because roses have thorns or you can rejoice because thorns have roses" - Ziggy

Have a lovely week.

Lajja by Taslima Nasrin

This book was written soon after the Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya on 6 December 1992. The writer has narrated the plight of a Hindu family in Bangladesh soon after the riots spread in India and repercussion of it in Bangladesh.

Muslims in Bangladesh were savaging Hindus. Every hour incidents of rapes, incineration of temples, and house trampling of Hindu were flashing on TV. Despite this Sudhamay (leads protagonist and Hindu) was averse to others demand, while some Hindus were fleeing Bangladesh he wanted to stay in his motherland in the hope that riots will be recede some day. Like everyone he was also the staunch lover of his homeland and wanted to exercise his rights in his beloved country. But day after day situation was getting worse and they were being deprived of their fundamentals rights. Their atrocious behavior towards Hindu wasn’t waning.

One passage that really shook me,

“Loving ones country is a universal feeling. But when certain groups of people find that because they do not owe religious allegiance to the declared national religion, their religion is regarded as secondary or is perhaps even third grade in status. And when they are also branded as second class citizens, their egos take a tremendous battering.”

Taslima had tried to put her thoughts and reality of what was happening in Bangladesh without any bias and may be that was the reason that Muslims of Bangladesh issued Fatwa against her and fundamentalists in Bangladesh were clamoring for her life.

It’s really a good book to know the reality of what happened in Bangladesh after the Babri Masjid demolition. Many people don’t find courage to write against his/her own religion but Taslima Nasrin has it but then she has to pay hefty price for it. We need writers of this kind who try to reveal the reality. I think India has lost a very good writer in the name of Salman Rushdie. Hope in coming years we give enough space to the writer to write freely without and restrictions.

“True love is always inside us, loving is learning to use it.”

Have a great weekend!