The Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi visited the town with the usual large bogey of her supporters including senior ministers in the Central Government and the biggies of the coterie. The city was illuminated at a large scale and it looked like it never had any problem on the power front. Wherefrom this gigantic amount of electricity came was the question lurking in the minds of the common people for whom power supply has all along been a nightmarish experience. Not an isolated case. It happens quite at intervals whenever any VVIP or even a VIP visits the city. It was her party's rally as a prologue to election campaign aimed at leaving a message to the local electorate that her party, the ruling one, could see to it that a nice budget is given to the people of the country and that the party has so excellently done well on all fronts for the welfare of the masses. What about soaring prices ? This was the question the large crowd in the audience wanted to ask but before they could muster necessary courage to raise it, they got silenced by the party volunteers and the security forces. Security is a cover most often used to protect the heavy weight politicians against the questions that sound unpleasant to them. The rallies are organised by alluring the masses in different ways promising them lot many things of interest to public being announced in the speech session. Was there any thing really of some interest to the people excepting drum beats of chantings on the recent budget? Nothing substantive. Budget so much talked about as a weapon to mobilise the masses is full of controversies and commoners consider it as a factor that enormously doubled the price rise in essential commodities particularlly the food items. Why boast of something that fails to deliver the goods in tangible terms? Soon after the Congress Chief left the city, electricity, an utility area number one for the people, got restored to routine normal disorder. Whether she realised it ? Obviously not as the public experience reveals.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Sunday, 30 March 2008
Recycled plastic utilities
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Saw her spraying sugar granules
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Incapacitation too inspires
Once rendered incapacitated on whatever count, trivial or major, one just feels like he/ she is out of form and can not join an activity that otherwise interests him/ her so much. It needs only some amount of resoluteness on the part of the person concerned and that fully takes care of the handicap which one suffers from. Just the other day I had gone for an eye operation for cataract. Doctors advised me complete rest atleast for a week prescribing no reading, no writing and above all no interaction with computer. I had to skip a certain number of opportunities which I was otherwise supposed to attend as a blogger. With focus on a particular offer, I opted to attend to it, covered my eye that was operated with a dark black scarf besides the coloured specs provided by the doctors using only the other eye to takeup the job. Normally it is a matter of surfing around half a dozen web sites at a time while completing a post obviously confronting the eyes with flash and glare causing sharp radiation but I chose to remain unmindful of it directing my undivided attention to the task only. It took a few minutes. The task was finished and submitted. No sooner it was submitted, it forthwith elicited an OK in the shape of 'approved' and the very brief word gave me a satisfaction of a degree as if I had won a marathon race. Feeling handicapped still, I keep a posture as if I am quite in form and can do many a things despite problems particularly that of vision. I could even make it to write this very small experience of mine although
finding it somewhat difficult. I am reminded of what Milton wrote 'on his blindness' saying '...they also serve who stand and wait.' Incapacitation does cause problems in physical activities but it has a deep potential of inspiring the person concerned to get boosted up for a performance.
Monday, 24 March 2008
Mortgage in a positive direction
Sunday, 16 March 2008
Century of a hundred springs
As the Vedic saying goes 'Jeevem shardah shatam' (let us live for hundred years), there are many who practice it in physical terms and there are yet who go even beyond that. The example of a practising advocate from Patna (Bihar) Bajrang Bahadur Singh as appropriately highlighted by the Press is a great source of inspiration who aspire for a long span of life. At the age of 103 he is the one who still follows his rigorous routine of attending cases in Patna courts. The secret of a long life, as he says, is simple living and vegetarian food with a disciplined pattern of functionality in routine. Long life is neither a secret nor so difficult to get it, what is actually warranted is necessary will on the part of the person concerned. Necessary will coupled with simple food habits with moderate exercises and yoga makes it quite possible. There are several persons in the world above 100 years, some of them crossing even above 120 years. How could they make it is the question the answer of which lies in their life style itself. I came across instance of such a person in this list who never had been to a bigger city as he never felt easy at the thought of leaving his village even for a shorter gap of time. It doesn't mean that those living in bigger cities can not aspire for a bigger span of life. They very well can. Village atmosphere is not that much dominated by materialism and the people there still believe in simplicity with a rich envirnment all around away from pollution. Thought process too is a vital factor. Tension free thinking helps. In the cities life is never that easy, it is rather always laden with strain and tension leading a person to go through uneasy moments most of the time. If these areas are duly taken care of with adherence to a regulated system of living, long span of life is possible for any one irrespective of the fact whether he belongs to village or town. Individual concentration matters much. What one thinks and how he does it is equally important. Thinking good of others pays, thinking bad with malice against others is a negative factor. It tells upon one's health and his physical faculties. Living simple, leading simple food habits with normal physical activities without any thing malicious against others, rather thinking good of them are the essential ingredients to secure the bliss of longevity in life.
Saturday, 15 March 2008
Benazir Bhutto as a writer
Posthumously published after Benazir Bhutto was no more, her book 'Reconciliation -Islam, Democracy and The West', her second one after 'Daughter of the East', the book shows the author as much better a writer. Certain reviews are already there including the one by M.J. Akbar and the other one by Salman Khurshid. The reviews cover both -her adorable life and equally the controvercial part of it. 'Daughter of the East' was on an emotional note whereas the 'Reconciliation' reveals her more as a matured politician. This book talks more of her personal qualities and grandeur is the observation made by one of the reviewers. Yeh, it is there. Looks like it has to be there as it is dishonest on the part of any writer if she/he conceals a description simply because it highlights her/him in the process. Prejudice is a prejudice whether you talk of others or talk of even yourself. How come one should not vividly describe the events for the reasons that they relate to the author herself. Be honest to the world, be honest to yourself too. The political developments she has covered are certainly the development that highlight her glofifying her in the public eyes. This was possible only if she could either have not touched the total background at all or could have removed the very potions which proved capable of putting her much more in a lime light. Both ways it was not at all fair on the part of the writer. Being forthright sticking to the very spirit of the event is supposed to be a writer's approach and this is what has been done by Benazir Bhutto. The very tilt of her inclination of affirmation towards American power, which has been crticised in reviews, is again the offshoot of the total political developments and is not the subject to be read in isolation. Studied in totality of the situation in which she was all along placed, whatever she has written in both her books is a frank narrative of events and scenarios which job she did as an excellent writer.
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Good, bad and evil
What is good and what is bad or evil is not a question of today, it is as old a question as the world itself. I came across an interview of certain top ranking religious heads besides Shri Ravi Shankar and Shahrukh Khan, the most popular film actor on this question. The versions of interpretations on the subject were varying but interesting. Books on mythology are full of references on the topic read, interpreted and reinterpreted by eminent scholars but the very question still remains like it was in the beginning. Bhagwati Charan Verma, the author of 'Chitralekha', the book that made him a giant amongst writers overnight, chose this very theme for his novel. What is Paap (evil) is the question Chitralekha asks a Guru leaving him non plussed. Mahatma Gandhi's three monkeys are well known the world over, the three who teach that ...don't talk ill, don't see bad, don't hear wrong. Lord Budha's teachings are all on that count only. Take any religious leader, they invariably cover this question as topic of their sermons. Shahrukh opted to answer this question based on his convenience. His version was that there is nothing wrong in acquiring massive wealth or lead a luxurious life with the caution that a person should not get attached to these things. This again is too vague an answer in the sense that there is hardly anything like enjoying it and disowning it in the meantime. The precepts contained in Bhagwat Gita are all centred around this theme only.
Infact the very system on earth is the combination of both good and bad and wherever there are divine intentions there are evil designs too. Good and bad both exist parallel to each other. Where there is God, there is also Satan. The pertinent aspect of which hardly any notice is taken is that Satan himself is only the part of God Himself. Moreover, no definition of this topic was ever given by any one which was uniform. It keeps on
changing. From age to age the definitions given and interpretations made are found to be highly conflicting for the reason that these things were all based on the life pattern that obtained at a particular stage of time. All religions talk of causing no harm to others. In practice this is not what they actually do. Certain religions are there to justify killings. These very people develop their food habits, some are vegetarians and some are there to be non vegetarians. Non vegetarians in many cases are those not lagging behind in talking of love for animals and birds. How come it could stand the truth. You love a bird but you kill it, or some one else does the job for you, you are not for harming any live being but you kill a goat or other animals to satisfy your taste. The question is difficult but the answers to this given by preachers are more grotesque and anomalous.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Budget your dreams
Budget is there for every thing and nothing moves without it. Government has a budget and so are the individuals. In the present day world even dreams are a matter subjected to this. Dreaming free styled doesn't work as it turns out to be utterly utopian. Dreams with a rationale coupled with well framed approach are the ones capable of gaining a tangible shape. Saying wise it looks nice to talk of 'let sky be the limit' but practically it may not be necessary nor feasible to procure it. Current scenario obtaining all over the world is that of dreaming big but dreaming alone is bound to fail unless supported by the tools it needs. I think of some thing and I am the one deserving what I want to attain gives me necessary eligibility to dream in a biggest possible measure. The trend as it is seen presently is to dream and dream. What barren dreams can do in the absence of requisite efforts. Those dreaming big without necessary substance base in it most often get disillusioned which results into a deep disappointment and frustration making the of the concerned individual just so miserable. It is these very frustrated elements who resort to unfair channels, it is for money or for any other purpose, and when they find their dreams collapsing they go for activities like kidnapping for a ransom, looting the people, targetting the ladies for their jewellery. Nice to dream big but it has tobe within a budget that justifies it in a tangible order.
Monday, 10 March 2008
Too much of unilaterism
States abolished, Rajaas and Maharajas were fixed aiming at doing away with anarchism and dictatorship. This was the past. Anything that appears like going out infact doesn't go out virtually, it remains in some form or the other. This is the culture prevalent all over the world. The very propensity of humans to behave authocratic does emerge on the surface at the first available opportunity. Opening computer for online operations actually opens up a flood gate of innumerable tempting ads alluring the people to fall for them. They look sweet and attractive initially to be followed by an experience which is not only inconvenient and cumbersome but highly delusive. Whatever the ads including those relating to blogs are the ones that contain a big world of incentives enticing you away to signing up with them. The real trauma starts after you are enrolled as their subscriber. The story that follows thereafter is that of an 'action', a 'ban' and even 'legal proceedings' terrorising the blog writers with several intimidations. They start behaving as masters dictating terms to those contributing their writeups. The channels involved like Page Rank and the like by Google and others behave as monarchs. They will do the slashing in Page Rank at their whim and fancy deliberately unmindful of the problem and demoralisation it may cause to those who are affected by it. They will give no chance to get heard howsoever best one tries to contact them. Not necessary that whatever is their verdict in the matter is only correct and rest of the world is no match to them. This is a sort of most erratic an unilaterism warranting assertive measures against it. The monopolistic agencies suffer from the complex that they have guts to continue as bulls in the market with no match. They are mistaken as history stands a testimony to it that those crossing their limits had ultimately to bite the dust when paid in their own coins.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
A deep dip downward in share market
Bear beating the bull, the share market looks all set to repeat what happened nearly a month back causing great setbacks to the share holders community. It happens. Nothing much uncommon in the scenario so obtaining. There are conflicting statements on the part of those whose words on the subject count much. Politicians, Ministry concerned, Experts and business magnates. What is visible on the surface is hardly in consonance with what is talked about. It looks at times like the current scenario took off after Reliance Power was floated. Those who floated it have an excellent reputation in the business world and the question is how come this venture of theirs flopped. To boost up the morale of their investers, they declared giving bonus shares which too could hardly do any thing to bring any improvement in the market. The set back is not confined to Reliance Power alone, it has taken into grips the stock market as a whole. Even others including State Bank who have the reputation of remaining stable have miserably suffered. The very enthusiasm of the investors stands badly crippled which situation emerged after people around 10 lakh in number showed so much of anxiety in this share that they had to open new Demat accounts with banks and various other agencies. This was the group who never had invested in shares in the past. Their enthusiasm bounced back to the extent of their total disappointment and todays position is that none of them is in a position to think of undertaking any risk at all. Possibly it is like all that glitters is not gold. Once bitten twice shy is the factor that is operating coupled with an otherwise international market scenario with the result that any sigh of relief in near future appears just utopian.
Warring factions in SBISA
Internal conflicts, group clashes and a routine bout fighting each other are a normal phenomenon. As we can witness them physically, they need no interpretation or an analysis by experts as it happens in the situations relating to the past. Only today two conflicting groups belonging to SBISA (State Bank of India Staff Association) with their contestants in election due within next few days called on me, both having large number of supporters with them -one quite big and the other one comparatively smaller obviously to enlist my patronage. As is the scenario obtaining in political circles, other local factors are prone to adopting the same style and patter in conducting their affairs like politicians do. One trying to overpower the other. Final ratings in respect of any forum or union lies with the general membership and such a rating presently is quite poor as they do not feel secure in the newly generated tactics on dealigns with the workforce by the management. They strongly feel they are not safe. They watch with interest a chance for VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) which they are eater to avail at the earliest opportunity for the simple reason that sooner they get out of the office they serve the better. Leadership commands hardly any respect. Following wise, the supporters join lobbies based on groups as there is nothing like some
definite ideology or princeples. Fighting for what ? Fighting for whom ? Problem with the electorate is always that usually they are not assertive and all moves stop at group politics leaving the real mission of service far away behind in the background. Like public of the country is unable to apply their right of franchise in a fair manner, so are all other sections in different sectors. If right of franchise is allowed to be applied in its right perspective, the possibility of deserving leaders emerging to surface is very much there. Electing the people who deserve a position is a healthy sign of the very establishment furthering the interest of the people but in the absence of it the position is just otherwise. Why contestants in any election can't take it as a mission on their part to serve the people, think of their interest, restore them the needed security ? If they are able to do so or those who deserve based on their conduct and performance, they are the leaders in honest terms qualifying themselves for a buck up from all sides.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Invisible friends
How peculiar it looks to be in contact with hundreds of persons and still no interaction face to face. This is what actually happens while operating online be it for business or be it in the context of writing posts on blogs. I come across a large number of my admirers giving beautiful comments on my posts which obviously I receive well and relish too. I quite feel like putting a word of thanks to them but on many an instances I fail to do so as email I so send doesn't reach them for the reason that it was not contactable. May be the person addressed to by me feels that I did not bother to even acknowledge the comments on my posts but how to communicate to them that I did make efforts in that direction and it did not reach them for them. So funny are the ways that work in email system very often fails. I received a call from a person complaining that it was too bad on my part not to acknowledge messages of comments and when I shared my problem with her she gave me another email address of hers that ofcourse worked. It doesn't happen in all the cases as every one is not supposed to waste a call every time she/he gives a comment on my post and dependence on the email system continues to remain functioning of which is hardly punctuated with a fool proof result. Once I perused a post of someone who wrote a nice poem on pangs of seclusion coupled with a line indicating that she was feeling like committing suicide. I did feel upset and keenly wanted to get her through some message urging upon her not to resort to such actions. I couldn't get her and had to write a post on 'Mystery Woman' consoling myself with the thought that may be she comes across this and gets the message I wanted to send her.
Panchayats in old days
Start of the very civilization on earth had the element of necessary negotiational propensity both in humans and animals. They talked amongst themselves and in times of some kind of a dispute or the other they did work on drawing a compromise. Some one who could do this job in a better manner was chosen as their leader assuming the role of the head of the Panchayat. The system in the case of humans got much elevated turning into the shape called a legal system and judiciary took the charge of giving decisions, the decisions that had a legal stamp. Prejudices played a role in Panchayats and so they continued in the judicial system too. It was a panchayat or it is a legal channel, prejudice has all along been a dominant factor in both the cases. It is not always found necessary for the courts to deliver their judgements just dispassionately, it is mostly done on what kind of feelings the judgement giver individually develops for the accused. Amrapalli, a heart throb of thousands in her days when Budhism was in its infancy, was abandoned by her parents for the reasons not yet traced by historians and was pickedup by a locally influencial man named Mahanaam from his mango garden who adopted her as her daughter. What name was to be given to her was a matter referred to local Panchayat where a senior member proposed that since she was the child found in a mango garden she be named as Amrapalli. Amrapalli becoming an adolescent, she was extremely charming to the point that many of the people including very important ones started fighting amongst themselves to get her. This matter again was referred to Panchayat. One of the members who was very considerate and serious about her as a chiled when deciding a name for her came with the proposal that since she was found in the mago grove of their village, she be made a wife of all in the locality. This member was a senior one elderly and aged but he turned out to be the one failing to resist his lustful
temptations for her. Then onward Amrapalli was a prostitute dragged as she was to such status by the Panchayat which worked on personal temptations instead of an impartial view which could otherwise have given her some place with dignity. It was the past but present too is in no way different so far as human behaviour is concerned.
Friday, 7 March 2008
Pensionery benefits in Banking Industry
There was a time when there was nothing like any provision for pension to employees serving in Banking Industry during British rule in the country. The initiative on this count was taken during the three Presidency Banks -Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, Bank of Madras later implemented in the shape of contributory pension where employees, like in the case of Provident Fund, had to contribute towards their pension which used to get supplemented by the bankers forming pension fund. Unions taking up the matter strongly, it became a full fledged Pension Fund without employees contributing any thing and this measure was first of all adopted by State Bank of India (then Imperial Bank of India as it emerged after merger of the three presidency banks). All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, the single important most union in State Bank took further lead and several finishing touches were given to improve pension benefits. A demand was later made by other unions operating in other commercial banks to claiming parity with State Bank on pension. State Bank employees infact had in all three benefits together -Pension including Family Pension, Provident Fund and also Gratuity. As it operates now, the benefits more or less on this count are the same in all commercial banks with minor variations. Certain glaring anomalies in the system are a matter of dispute which includes demand for a more liberalised rate of pension for the retired employees. The issue however has till date failed elicit any tangible results. Talks, meetings,negotiations and then nothing like any result. The strike(s) that took place on this issue also failed to bring any outcome for the reason that it is not being followed up with an earnest seriousness the issue demands. Raising issue and then not following it in a required direction hardly succeeds and that is how it continues hanging in the balance.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Guess sellers in Share Market
Few decades back only share market was hardly that popular as it is today. Majority of people are in this business, they are businessmen, professionals, students or others. They are full timers and they are part timers but they are there in some form or the other. Much drumming done on the subject is that it is nothing like gambling like it used to be known earlier and that it is now very much a scientifically based rationale where systematic assessments and logical calculations work. Difficult to say how far it could be correct as till date there is no agency available to forecast the behaviour of share market in accurate terms. Whatever is there it is nothing more than a guess. It is a different matter that there are large number of persons who are making enough of money on forecasting the future behaviour of shares. Presently the market is miserably in a bad shape upsetting the investors regularly for the last several weeks. If the guess of the share pundits was to be taken as true, the present setback should not have been there. There is factually no fool proof a measuring rod to testify as to which type of scenario is in the offing for the market. Whatever the share pundits do is like what the shepherds used to do, and are still doing in remote areas, to forecast on rains. If they saw herds of ants coming out of their shelter holes running to safer places like trees, it was seen as a sign that the rains to occur and for that reason the ants movement was directed this way. Full of suspense, anxiety and tension, share trading has been and continues to be a matter of guess only.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
A fool proof Insurance Cover
Sunday, 2 March 2008
How catastrophic ?
Much against what I was expecting otherwise, I instead got a jolt when I found that my Blog PR is reduced to 1 from 3. The reason? I don't know nor I find it feasible to ascertain and trace it. I know any amount of a cry on the subject on my part is only to get bounced back as the one in vacuum. I noticed that PayPerPost had almost stopped sending me any material for writeups and surprisingly it happened only after they had recognized me as an 'outstanding postie' for which I thanked them most heartily. I can now understand their difficulty. It was my PageRank getting slashed down. Comprehending any visible reason behind lowering my Rank is an onerous task heavily telling upon my other schedules quite hectic otherwise and obviously I have no option but to keep quiet. I do feel demoralised within myself for the reason that such a unilaterally taken action has no cogent reasons to show. My discipline of doing things has all along been to work faithfully and sincerely without any hanky panky order. The setback so caused is bound to haunt me for a long time. Could it be somethign engineered ? I resist against such a thought but in the same time get dragged to a realisation that possibly it can't be ruled out altogether. I have other blogs too, some of them with a good Page Rating at 4 but the very fear that this again may meet the same fate on some frivolous ground or the other cripples my enthusiasm to persue my work further. My sincere thanks to PayPerPost still spring up from my heart, more so as I had to compromise my relationship on that count with others in the field dealing with me. My heart bleeds.
From 'MyDiary'.
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Answer please ?
Silence is gold, it is said. Silence at personal level is not the same as it is in business dealings. At personal leve, impressions are drawn based on body language which is not the case with commercial dealings particularly when dealing with business tycoons online. If I don't talk to my friend, my friend goes by an easily drawn an inference that I am annoyed. Working online, the concerned person who matter for the purpose are in the background only never visible and interactable. Narratives elaborated on the subject are so grotesque that at times it becomes to difficult to make out any sense out of it and howsoever best an attempt is made the answer you aim at for a problem or a meaningful interpretation is not at all found in the list of their FAQS. They ofcourse do repeat their advice to contact them in case the user is having some problem but that is after all a ritual of their routine and is hardly directed seriously. It's not that they don't answer at all, they do but this they do entirely at their convenience getting fully satisfied that the very question is of their interest. If it is not to their direct interest they opt keeping quiet on the subject unmindful of the difficulties the user of the site may have to experience in the absence of an answer. Why they do so ? Why dependence on mechanical tools mainly including website operations should be allowed to assume a proportion where the element of personal touch is reduced to a point of nullity. Going through an article in English magazine from U.K. quite some time back I came across a cartoon showing a group of employees going to their boss to lodge their protest against mechanisation and it was to their amazement when they found on entering the chamber that the man sitting in his chair to act as their boss was not actually a man but just a machine. True, there are robots who have now a capability to match that of a man but machine is a machine only and is not able atleast presently to be exactly at par with the man particularly in the matter of feelings. A study shows that by 2050 the robots are likely to acquire the status of a human even feeling wise, do emotions based things, even indulge in sex activities and perform all that can be imagined. Atleast till then, the human functionaries in the background of online operations are supposed to respond to their feelings on their problems. They should be good enough to materially answer the queries raised to them before this right of their is taken away by the robots.