A Day to Remember

2nd September 2011. Next day was my niece’s birthday. So I withdrew a handsome amount from the bank to make arrangements for the small party I had planned for her. 

I usually stop for a tea near my home. The small tea stall is always packed as he makes excellent masala tea. That day for a change it was near empty. It was looking like its going to rain. Without wasting a moment, I finished the tea and rushed to my home. 

A little while after some one rang the door bell. And, I was surprised to see Shivu, the boy who works at the tea shop standing at my door. This boy was not new to my house. He used to deliver tea to me whenever I have to entertain a surprise guest. But today I had not ordered any thing. Before I can figure out the reason for his arrival, Shivu took out my mobile from his pocket. ‘Anna (big brother) you had forgotten this’ he said with a smile on his face. 

It was not an expensive handset. And I had used it for a couple of years. I was very pleased with this boy and tipped him some amount. Casually I asked him the reason for his working at the time when he is supposed to be studying. Our further conversation went some thing like this.. I have written it VERBATIM

How can I go to school?

Like any other children. Now a day’s schools are providing meals. You dint have to worry about the food also.

Will they feed my family also?

What do you mean? What your parents do?

I dint know what my father does. He is missing from past six years. My mother works at construction sites. I have a school going younger brother. My mother don’t get regular job. So I have to work.

How much do you earn?

The shop owner gives me 20 rupee per day a breakfast and a lunch. I earn at least 10 rupee as tips. Even after all the expenses I can take home at least 30 rupee a day. 

Expenses? What kind of expenses does a nine year old boy can have?

Our government has prohibited shops from selling tobacco to children. But here Shivu not only could buy cigarette but, had become a compulsive smoker. And he is only nine! 

(I was beginning to take interest in this casual conversation. I don’t know why I felt like helping this boy)

‘I know some organization which helps children like you. If you are interested I’ll take you there and they will try to arrange for your education etc. You are a very nice boy. If not you would not have returned my cell. You should be studying and playing at your age. What do you say?’ I asked him. 

Anna, I’m working from past four years. I used to secretly beg before that. One day my mother saw me and stripped me of my cloths and made me to stand in front of the house for the whole day. She always tells me that if I ever beg or steel, she will break my legs. Initially I was getting only food at the tea shop. Now I have started earning. If I leave this job, I loose the earnings also. So I don’t want to study.

I tried to persuade him to take up studies but, he was very sure of his stand. I went with him to his home and met his mother. Her stand was not different then that of Shivu’s.

I would live if he could study. But, our financial status does not allow it. Being the elder son, he has to take the responsibility of the family. She concluded. 

But it is illegal. Child labor is banned in India. Primary education is free and compulsory. You don’t have to spend a paisa on his education. Even his lunch is taken care of. I took out my last weapon. 

She looked at me for a while and, gave a sarcastic smile. 

My younger son is studying in a government school Anna. (I had become big brother for both mother and son.) I know how free it is. It’s difficult for us to support even a first standard student. Please leave now. She was much worried of

loosing shivu’s job, if he stays for long. 

Good if you loose the job. At least then you can think of studying. Working in a tea shop is not a great job. If you study you will get a better job. I said. 

I don’t want to work in the tea shop for ever Anna. Very soon I’ll be opening my own tea shop. I know how to make tea and coffee. I have already saved some money towards it.

I looked at him in disbelief. He had a broad smile on his face and, all the stars in his eyes! 

Being educated, I had never thought of working for self. I chose the safe way of working for a MNC on their terms. A nine year old, uneducated boy had thought of working under self terms and, had already laid foundations on his dream! 

I just told him to contact me for any kind of help he may require in future. 

We all speak of the children and their rights and, the problems the underprivileged face. But always forget to acknowledge their spirit. But Shivu’s incident proved to me that the negligence has not hampered their spirit. I wonder what all these spirited children could achieve if they get a proper initial guidance. 

Sex Ratio in India

A small discussion with my dad regarding the worsening of sex ratio in India… It took thirty minutes for him to elucidate but thirty hours for me to understand..!!

Here it goes:

RAGHU: Girls dominating the SSLC and PU results yet again and the child sex ratio has dropped from 927 to 914 girls per thousand boys.. Two extremes..!!! Any comments..???

DAD: The population Census survey 2011 has put question marks on the policies of the successive governments in the country. The survey says, Indian girls are vanishing despite the improvements in the sex ratio and literacy rates among them. The sex ratio figures reflect a depressing and growing trend among even the middle-class Indians to abort girl children, and a long-continued tradition among India’s vast underclass to nourish their boys and neglect, even abandon or kill, their baby girls. Boy children are still seen as the only security against an old age spent in penury, while a girl child is a drain on the household, who will require an expensive dowry.

The Census is the sole data base in the country that the government uses to formulate its policies. The survey comes out with a database on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanization, fertility and mortality, social structure, language, religion and migration. Disappearance of the girl child is a matter of grave concern today. The population survey reaffirms a fact, which is so disturbing that it has cast a blot on the country. Girls seem to have no place in the so-called country’s growth story.

Though the southern states, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, all have stronger sex ratios when compared to the national average of 914, they are worse off when compared to 2001. This pattern continues although the government has prohibited hospitals from disclosing the gender of an unborn child. Parents abort female fetuses and murder young female children for financial reasons. Incidents like this occur more frequently in the better educated and the richer Indian states, including Punjab and Gujarat. Even the Capital city of the country is not free from the bias against the girl child.

RAGHU: Are we really a nation that so hates its female population that, despite being aware of what the absence of women can mean for any society, we continue to kill them even before they are born?

DAD: Many parents still prefer to have male children, since men are traditionally the breadwinners in society. Men also perpetuate the family name and having boys relieves families of the expense of providing dowries for girls and protecting their virtue.

Therefore despite laws against pre-natal tests for determining the sex of a child, the practice of aborting female foetuses is still widespread throughout the country, with many parents prepared to pay for illegal abortions carried out by private doctors. The fact that female foetuses continue to be aborted in significant numbers can clearly be seen in the findings of the latest census. It shows that sex determination continues to be practiced robustly and rampantly. As is sex discrimination — girls are given less food, less health care, less education and even less affection. Also, it seems policies for the girl child haven’t done much to improve the situation.

MORAL:

The truth is that a country that so devalues its women does not deserve to pride itself on its economic growth, if it’s a growth built on the mass murder of its girl children

Morning Raga

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha!

This is one common reverberation which you listens when you enter to few parks in Bangalore, I was not exception. I had been to morning walk with my MOTHER today, though the reason was to take her to walk but the intention was to scrutinize few girls who will be strolling around there.

You might be now thinking how much spoiled brat I must be..!!! Hold on, this was an autonomy given by my parents to get myself married soon. Now you can envisage what I was doing there. I was looking at few girls who can take good care of me and my parents..!!! Now I can feel that your impression on me is slightly changing.

Let’s come to main topic, THE REVERBERATION.

The park I am in at this fiendishly early hour of the morning is anything but quiet and peaceful. The reason is that I am surrounded by well dressed professionals in expensive labeled clothing and beautiful silk saris and trouser suits going absolutely, shouting loud.

They the have fallen under the spell of one of the most charismatic coach. I don’t know his name but for his followers he has unlocked the secret of never ending happiness. His formula is simple. When we are happy we laugh. So if we laugh it will make us happy.

It sounds simple and I entered their world with deep cynicisms. On greeting me, as I approached, he nearly shook my hand but then stuck his fingers up his nose shouted like a Zulu, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

This had him in convulsion and had me chuckling at his silliness before I knew what I was doing. "You are most welcome Mr., Join me and my friends and become the happiest man in the world!" His theories are actually firmly based in yogic medicine. Laughter therapy or "Hasya Yoga" which has been proven to stimulate the mind and the body. According to the giggling guru it also repairs the spirit.

As the conversation continued, he started to explain the importance of morning walk. A morning walk is a rewarding experience. In the morning, Nature is at her best. The dewdrops on the green grass and leaves of plants look like pearls. The flowers laden with dew merrily wave their heads and spread their fragrance and colors everywhere. The birds sing cheerfully. An early walker feasts his eyes and ears on such sights and sounds.

And about the laughter therapy, he elucidates how this will help to the mankind. But few points which caught my attention are, laughter adds spice to life; it is to life what salt is to a hard-boiled egg, pepper to chicken kebab and pickles to whiskey..!!! It also develops your sense of humor and you will find you are more productive, a better communicator, and a superior team player. Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you share your sense of humor, the more friends (Girls) you will have.

The good Doctor has a point.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Corruption in India

INDIA, a country of love, happiness, festivals, people and CORRUPTION. Yes the word corruption seems to be small but in INDIA it has a great and vast impact on INDIA. Now everything in India seems to be corrupt whether it is or not. Now a days when anything happens that was not expected Indians feel it as a result of corruption.

Just like the famous saying “charity begins at home”, In India “we say corruption begins with politics”. Politicians are the worst at corruption, they are assigned to remove corruption but they are the sowing seed for the same.

It is a no brainer that Corruption in India is at its rampant best. There is not one section of the society that is spared from it. Corruption in the form of bribery takes the cake and given that it begins at the grass root level makes it even more difficult to monitor and control

Corruption is one problem that has been highlighted far and wide by the media over the past many years. Corruption not only has become a pervasive aspect of Indian politics but also has become an increasingly important factor in Indian elections. The extensive role of the Indian state in providing services and promoting economic development has always created the opportunity for using public resources for private benefit.

Now India is so addicted to corruption that everything goes roundabout money and corruption. Without giving money to corrupt people you just cannot have your work done. Everything, every work and every one needs money to do every work. Like if you want to get a government or private job, give bribe, If you want to get your child into a college for studies you need to bribe, give money and win your cases in judicial courts, give money and get your driving license, give money and get yourself transferred to a better place, give money and get yourself promoted, and that money goes to everyone, it is like a chain, every person is involved in that system of corruption.

It is embarrassing that billions of dollars are being spent on electing leaders who do nothing more than succumbing to taking bribes after getting elected.

Everybody says that every individual should start their war against corruption individually but practical it is not possible. Because now corruption has started to flow like blood in veins of corrupted people. Once Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of a Great INDIA, full of values and without corruption but he might not be happy after watching the scenario

What an individual can do is to create awareness of any corruption event happened with him/her and let more and more people know what had happened to them. In this way more and more people will come to know where things are going wrong so well the media will know.

Despite all this, the main problem with enforcement of the strict laws for corruption is because the political parties in power, even though they are ever enthusiastic to curb this problem, are helpless till the time the common man strives to eradicate this problem.

As long as there will be people willing to pay under the table, the demand for the same would exist, and the country would never be able to get rid of this PROBLEM.

A trek to remember

I want to give a huge write up… my complete experience. It was a roller coaster ride and I don’t want to miss a moment of happiness. I just have one question; if I do a write-up for 10000+ words will anyone sue me…???

I still wonder how I made this trekking possible with my big tummy… but yeah, that was the truth. Skandagiri hills, 75km from Bangalore, one of the finest things to trek. I enjoyed a lot and I have had a fresh breath on the hill top. My soul, mind got fresh new thoughts after climbing for hours to reach the top.

We were 21 of us and started from majestic bus stop, Bangalore at 9 in the night and reached to Skandagiri hills at around 11.30am. It was good because of moonlight. The moon was in a little oval shape and the dim light from it was so pleasant to walk under. We started walking towards the hill top. People were crawling, talking, making funny sounds every now and then we take rest to make up ourself for the rest of the trekking.

We were walking through giant rocks, dark bushes but some how we had a torch light which helped us. Some times, you could see a steep way and some times rocky and bushy path way. Did not actually miss anything above!! We went out for gazing at the clear sky with thousands beautiful twinkling stars.. My friends were explaining to me the constellation. I was listening to them and trying to understand at one moment and at the same time I was just wondering about the next day.

What’s special about climbing the mountain/hill? There’s nothing special you can find here until you experience by yourself but few things I can say here

• Good exercise to your physical body
• You will get fresh thoughts in your mind and soul
• You will simply enjoy the beauty of nature even though you experience physical pain.

After reaching to hill top, we started eating buns, oranges, tea and what ever have had.

Rajesh was the one first initially brought sticks and stuff for bonfire, after some time I was able to bring some and added to it. You know, its very difficult to make fire on hill top because you might experience heavy cold breeze in the early morning, but some how we were able to do it and made crazy sounds and enjoyed few minutes..

Then we were waiting for the sun rise, sun became shy I think because of we waiting for his appearance without sleeping. After some time, his shyness gone away and he made his appearance and little bit hiding behind the dew like the young girls do hide behind their mother, but some how I was able to capture the beauty in him.

Another good thing you can notice on hill top is that tea shop. They provide tea, bread, omlet and bajji etc… skandagiri hills is a business opportunity too…!! I can see a little entrepreneur there selling a tea.

I can say there are about 200 people on hill top in the early morning as light came, I can see the crowds. You can even see a temple on the hill top(Don’t ask me about god..!!).

After some time, we started coming down and I was wondering that I have walked via these path way and bushes in the moon light without any fear. Walking back was not difficult in fact my pace increased or maybe that’s the way it is. I forgot to get some snaps… was dealing a lot with fatigue and recovery and enjoying the last trails.

All I had in my mind is to reach to (hill) top and experience the diverse mode of sun rise. That kind of confidence is what I got now.

Apocalypse of Indian Cricket Team

The loss to South Africa in Nagpur on Saturday exposed many frailties in the hosts' line-up. TOI lists a few problems and possible solutions that Team India can pay attention to if they want to feature in the business end of the tourney

Problem 1: No method in powerplays

In the two matches that India haven't won, against England in Bangalore (tied) and against South Africa in Nagpur (lost), India messed up with the batting powerplays big time. Against England, they could score just 32 runs for the loss of one wicket, while against South Africa, they lost four wickets for 30 runs. On both occasions, the batsmen were guilty of aiming for too high a score and ended up paying the penalty. A more circumspect approach will do the job.

Possible solution: The batsmen can ask themselves a simple question: Do we go hell for leather in the first 10 overs which are the mandatory powerplay overs? If the answer to that question is no, then the approach should change in the game against West Indies.

Problem 2: Faulty batting order?

Virat Kohli, who was India's most successful batsman in ODIs in 2010 and who scored a hundred in India's first match of the World Cup against Bangladesh, has been sacrificed at the cost of getting more runs. In the match against England, he batted at No. 7 as Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni batted higher. Against South Africa, too he batted at No. 7. Is he paying the price for his success?

Possible solution: Even in a powerplay scenario, Kohli at No. 4 is a safe bet as he is a very good stroke player and a powerful striker of the cricket ball. No. 4 is three spots too high for Pathan. Kohli can attack and in case there is a collapse, he can also graft and work the ball around for singles. He would have been an ideal man for the situation on Saturday.

Problem 3: Stubborn selection

R Ashwin and Sreesanth must be wondering what wrong have they done to not feature in the playing XI. India are struggling with spin-bowling back-up for Harbhajan and pace-bowling back-up for Zaheer.

Possible solution: There is no theory in the world that says you can't have two off-spinners in the playing XI. Ashwin is a man with plenty of variations and must get in as Piyush Chawla just hasn't looked the part. Ashish Nehra too hasn't been consistent post his injury problems and in the death overs, he tends to leak runs. Time for the captain to overlook Sreesanth's antics and give him a game.

Role of Science in INDIA

The strength of a nation is no longer determined merely by the might of its armies. It comes from the quality of its collective knowledge, the productivity of its working people, the creativity of its entrepreneurs and the dedication of its professional work force.

A country’s prosperity too is a function of the knowledge its people possess and acquire. Indeed, it has always been so. But, what has changed in the last few decades is the access to knowledge. We live in an era of greater equity and equality as far as the acquisition of knowledge is concerned.

In an increasingly globalized world and with the ease of modern communications, it is possible for researchers to work in multiple environments even as they stay stationed at one place. But the great merit in being located in one place for a reasonable length of time is that new generations of researchers can benefit from the intellectual leadership provided by talented people. And India surely needs such leadership in ample measure.

Many young persons today may think it is not exactly wise to leave the comfort of well funded institutions abroad to return home to work in India. The infrastructure our universities and research institutions provide may not be world class, though, some institutions in the private sector, do provide world class facilities but we need many such facilities all over the country.

But, having accepted all the inadequacies of India’s research infrastructure, if there are young men and women who are willing to work here and produce world class research despite all the constraints they may face, we must salute their wisdom, their grit and determination and their love for their country. Therefore, I join each one of you in saluting the distinguished researchers of today.

But researchers are not just servants who do the bidding of their paymasters. They are driven by curiosity and seek knowledge often for its own sake. The fundamental discoveries of physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and biology have come from this thirst for understanding rather than from any social compulsion.

I belong to a generation that worried about the links between science and society. Scientific temper, we believed, would help India make the transition from a traditional to a modern society. We saw the development of science as intrinsic to the advancement of modernism, pluralism and liberalism.

But, it is true that science has made strides even in societies that were neither modern nor liberal. It is true that the products of science have been put sometimes to illiberal uses. I sincerely believe we must guard against such tendencies, especially in our own blessed country.

Take modern developments in the bio-sciences for instance. We are now acquiring the capacity to manipulate the human genome. But we have yet not developed an ethical framework that defines red lines that we must not cross as we do this.

The question is whether researchers should step beyond their discipline and at least guide the social discourse on the use of scientific knowledge. Should they develop a code of conduct that defines the limits within which they will work on the application of their discoveries? Should there be a collegial process for deciding difficult cases? I leave these as questions because the very idea of ethics for science needs further discussion.