Does Anna Hazare stand confused?

Recognised by many as another Gandhi, Anna Hazare created history when he launched a scathing attack against the powers that be vigorously raising a demand that a separate law be enacted to curb corruption in the country. He observed fast unto  death which was only withdrawn after the Government of India affirmatively nodded their head to consider the demand in a positive measure. The fast continued for nearly two weeks. Anna became a wave and his was a house hold name throughout the country. His movement gave a sigh of relief to 125 crores Indians who found a ray of hope in it for eradication of corruption that was so giganticly rampant in the country as a whole but the sequence of events which followed led the people think as if their hopes were dwindling. It was not only for the reasons that the ruling collision at the centre with Congress as a major partner went back on their assurance to consider Anna’s demands in a positive manner and that they rather adopted aggressive postures detrimental to Anna’s mission, the other reasons were the differences of opinion emerging amongst the the members of the team Anna themselves and conflicting statements made by them including Anna himself. Anna justified slapping on Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar by some young man but soon after retracted condemning the attack. He called the people in the government as Chor (thieves). He said ‘choron ko thappad maro’ (slap those who are thieves). There is literally nothing wrong in such versions of statements but language wise they do not befit a Gandhian like Anna is. Anna has been postponing his plans to more aggressively launch a further movement on some pretext like health or the other. Very often he looks to be double  minded and possibly confused in regard to his movement plans. A definite mind and not a confused one is the key note for any struggle or movement and one is supposed to be well behaved without compromising his view point to pursue his mission.

Back to blogging

Back long enough I had stopped blogging for the reason that it looked to be somewhat cumbersome to me and that it didn’t prove remunerative enough to keep me attracted to it. Realising later that if the venture was not that much result oriented it was none else but  myself to blame as possibly I was not able to spare necessary amount of time required for the purpose. Looking back to my association with Socialspark with whom I had developed a close relationship in course of my dealings with them, I felt within myself as if it was a rapport much worth continuing. It formed some amount of temptation in me which I felt I was unable to resist, hence this resumption. Resuming the task undoubtedly falls in the midst of several complicated formalities but they are after all an integral part of any challenge that is undertaken.Thanks to Socialspark and also Google whose platform I have been using for  my blogs.

Pensioners in State Bank of India

Of all the public sector organisations in India State Bank is the oldest one where pension to the employees was introduced right during the days it used to be called Bank of Calcutta established on 2nd June in 1806 which was later renamed as Bank of Bengal on 2nd January’ 1809 to form Imperial Bank of India subsequently on 27th January’1921. Employees in this Bank had the triple advantage of Pension, Provident Fund and gratuity. Now such benefits are a general feature in almost all the banks throughout the country. Work force in State Bank now lags behind several other organisations including non commercial ones like Central Government employees. There are undertakings like Life Insurance Corporation of India which are much better placed with a liberalised calculation of pension to suit its retirees. Such a calculation is not allowed to be applied to State Bank employees despite persistent demands raised on that count by the respective unions. Besides the currently serving employees union namely All India State Bank of India Staff Federation and All India State Bank of India Officers Federation there is another union exclusively for the retired employees/ officers to look after the interests of the retirees. None is able to deliver necessary goods and the retirees from State Bank are left in a lurch compelled to lead a miserable life in every day growing prices of essential commodities and they find themselves just helpless to manage necessary sustentation for themselves and their families with the meagre amount they get by way of pension. In fact the retirees are themselves to blame in many ways on this count as they lack much behind in the matter of necessary efforts in this context and they  merely look to their respective unions as silent spectators.

Veterans in a meet

The leaders, nay the past leaders, of All India State Bank of India Staff Federaton met at Kolkata on 7th and 8th January. In a  way it was the galaxy of stalwarts who turned up to the venue from nook and corner of the country. The participants jubilantly bubbled with a glow of enthusiasm like they were not the ones who called it a day to hectic organisational activities much earlier but younsters knowing no fatigue. Thanks to Sankareswar Dutta joined by Prafulla Patnaik who successfully harnessed themselves to the gigantic task of organising the event like they maidenly did in arranging its predecessor meet  in November'2010 at Puri. Dexterously  monitored by the joint convenors Sankareswar Dutta and Prafullo Kumar Patnaik, the event was hosted by State Bank of India Staff Association, Bengal Circle, and most pivotal a role in the matter was played by its General Secretary Siddhartha Khan, a man of down to earth simplicity sans any kind of reservations. Sankareswar Dutta introduced him to the gathering as the one in the offing as a potential leader of the All India State Bank of India Staff Federation some day. Replying to a question by one of the participants, Siddhartha Khan replied '...no son is supposed to forget his father and so are we to always adore our fore fathers in the leadership'. Deliberations wise, number of speakers participated notably Venugopal Reddy, SP Raman, Shiv Janam Pandey, KK Bandlish and also Siddhartha Khan representing his local team of SBISA. Chapal Ghosh introduced to the gathering his locally formed forum meant for retirees from State Bank which however could not be entertained as it was something in generality and not compatible to the purpose of the forum in session. It was resolved to name the forum as United Forum of Former Council Members of All India SBI Staff Federation.
The event ofcourse lacked in establishing a definite direction in the matter of cogently identifiable a purpose and goal to determine whether this congregation of the retiree leaders had to remain confined to an ashirvad goshthi or they could secure more meaningful a capability to still play a tangibly viewable role contributing their might towards some service to the workers.

Online disasters

Safe it is as it is said to record relevant materials online but it doesn’t hold good always. I find myself at a loss to know that number of blog sites I created with different IDs are no more available online as they are either just untraceable or are put to an end by the host sites themselves reasons of which are not known to me except that there was no operations in the accounts for quite a long time. Possibly necessary record maintained off line elsewhere in a manual order is more safe. In any case I feel so disheartened at the experience.

In the new year

Monday, January 03, 2011: Too chilly a weather it is for the last few days looking like things are freezing all around. Chilly winds on date remind me of the weather as it stood just a year back when people in SBISA particularly led by Vijai Awasthi and Anil Jauhary celebrated the day as my Platinum Jubilee based on official record of my birth day i.e. 2nd January’1935 at Farrukhabad. Instead of 2nd January it was observed on the 3rd January to suit the convenience of the organizers and the participants. Despite very bad a weather the event was attended by the people at a very large scale. I feel alright healh wise in the new year. There are ofcourse certain instances in a way striking a note on my advancing age. This morning while heading towards dining table to pick up the news papers of date I felt I was badly oblivious of my surroundings and didn’t at all notice that Disha, my daughter inlaw, was sitting there going through the news papers. This I could notice only when I got too close to her. A tendency of getting unduly suspicious on health points as I have I took it as some thing like a derailed mind. I quite know that it was the case of usual mental slips very common in an individual’s routine but some where there is a lurking thought as if the slip was an outcome of my advancing age which may not be a factual state of my health conditions and in no way it carries any alarming signal relating to my age as it stands on date.

Ring in the new

Friday, December 31, 2010: It’s the year end now like it always happens –the year like any thing in the universe comes like a child and passes off like an old person as if it is just a routine ritual in the hands of the Nature. Nothing stays till eternity. On an average the year 2010 has been a better one except that I had to continuously offer resistance against some ailment or the other. The reason as to why I develop like my whole body system sinking with too vague an uneasiness quite often continues to be undiagnosed. My doctors only failed on that count. This ailment struck me like a bout of attack day before when I was on my usual walk in Shriram Park when it became a horrible task for me to drive home back and this was a period I had to count moment by moment. My will power helped me to some how reach Tapovan back. I had no option but to resort to ‘Placida’, a tablet I had stopped taking nearly a week back as an experiment. I resumed it since yesterday morning and after the second doze of it today I find some improvement now but, most intriguing a question as it is, how long I can depend on it. It may after all have its own side effects. My doctor for the purpose Vishal Chopra says in his usual style of vagueness that I can take it safely on a regular footing. Bachhey continues to suffer from low blood pressure and for this too the doctors are helpless to suggest any effective remedy. I continue feeling badly disturbed. On financial stringency on domestic needs I failed to secure any alternative remedy on this count this year too but could manage the needs some how. Yoga has helped me a lot to keep my other physical faculties intact till now enabling me to still look forward with confidence to a better tomorrow. I don’t know how and to what extent this optimism of mine will hold good in the new year starting from the mid night today.
N.B. The usual site for 'mydiary' is my blog 'Scenario' where operations are restricted by the Google, hence the venue is shifted to this blog 'Destination' ofcourse as a measure of trial. I have yet to take a final decision in the matter.