Death Of The Fearless & The Consequent Fears

While the story of a gruesome gang rape & brutal assault thereafter comes to a gloomy end, with the dreadful death of the victim in a Singapore hospital, talks and opinions on the matter refuse to die and so does the news of many more rapes & gang rapes in the media every day.

The issue surely has opened a Pandora's box with lot many questions about our legal system, laws, governance, administration and most importantly social & political environment.

The country in which a cop is killed because he tries to save his daughter from a possible rape and another cop rapes a victim whom he was assigned to protect against the same crime, where  Chinese food is blamed for the sin or teen marriages for girls are suggested to save them from the offence and where community heads are backed by government heads in endorsing honor killings and where administration has no mettle to take on these sick mindsets and insensitive souls, what future holds for a common man, is anybody's guess. What type of governance government is exhibiting, needs no mention.

We are talking of changing & making laws more stern and more ruthless to avoid recurrence of such episodes. We talk about making police a bit responsive and sensitive so that the men in khaki are more humane towards victims. But how - nobody is sure about the way.

Yes, we need to change a few laws.  a) We must take out Voting from RIGHTS bracket and put it in DUTIES bracket making it a constitutional obligation for every citizen to perform b) We should not allow any person without immaculate & spotless reputation to contest elections -finding 542 such people in 120 crore population should not be that big a problem - and c) We must constitute a law where no administrator, minister including Prime minister or Head of State or Nation should be able to interfere in Police or Security Agencies' functioning. Agencies should be made autonomous and absolutely free to initiate action against any corrupt person in the nation whatsoever his or her official or political position may be. 

In other words the phrase "Nobody Is Above Law" be made effective & consequential. However, officers initiating actions should also be made solely responsible & accountable for any wrong happenings on their  part and strict laws be applied against them too.

All actions of the people be classified as legal or illegal. Judging ethics & morals be left to person's conscience or the Supreme Power. Give Law a chance to take its own course without fear and favour - in real sense.

Does our political leadership has the courage to effect the reforms which may not be complementary in their own vested interests? Are the political bosses of the opposition ready to support any such move or force the government to enact some serious measures? Or shall we think that all are only shedding crocodile tears to con the countrymen?

It is true that mindset of the nation should be changed and police be made sensitive. But let us change the mindset of our politicians and make them sensitive and nation will automatically follow them because then the sick minds & insensitive souls will have no option but to change.

Insecure Security




It is proved beyond doubt that Manual Security System has miserably failed in providing any effective resistance to terrorism. Only effective answer can be High Technology Based Security with minimal involvement of humans monitoring the system. And strictly no and absolutely no involvement or interference of political class of the nation. 

Courting The High Terror 

Whenever a terror attack happens - which happens now on a very regular and short intervals -our politicians including our Prime Minister start shouting from rooftops declaring zero tolerance and giving befitting response to these activities. And then the wait for the next attack begins. This has been happening for years now with no positive outcome. Not even a shameful acceptance of failure by shameless politicians.

In these circumstances we certainly need a strong, very strong Lokpal Bill in which every minister in charge including Prime Minister is covered and repeated failure, incompetence and non-performance of constitutional duties by them are equated and treated at par with corruption and dealt accordingly. 

Reluctant Prime Minister-Compelling Politics

Manmohan Singh has been perhaps the only Prime Minister nation has seen who had a non political, non corrupt, selfless, clean and intellectual image. Perhaps the only Prime Minister in the world who had earned his undisputed reputation as an upright, down to earth, pragmatic and concerned bureaucrat in national and international fora much before entering into politics. The only Prime Minister who held the chair with impeccable track record of perfection & performance.

His genuineness had been a great asset for him and had shielded him on many failures including the re-inductions of Sibu Soren, Vilasrao Deshmukh & A Raja and even during his leniency in asking Maharashtra Government to enforce strict legal options on rival Political bosses for their mayhem and inflammatory speeches on many occasions.

However non display of authority on his part for whatever reasons has helped his colleagues and subordinates immensely in their wrong doings. As a result the most industrious & illustrious prime minister became the reason to push the nation to the mercy of absolute non performing, sycophant bureaucrats and corrupt politicians.

Despite all this, unfortunately till very recently he had not been able to take charge and be at the helm. Hence the most honest and sincere head of the government is surrounded with innumerable allegations of corruption and non performance.

Though after CWG mess & 2G , Deavs & Adarsh scams it seems that the things are moving in right direction and nation will see matters to reach some logical conclusions in near future.

Now it will be interesting to see whether he can hold on to his authority and leads the nation to the badly needed and well deserved glory or is compelled to forget & forgive as has been always the case with independent India or chooses to resign and retire as an awakened & non compromising leader of once great nation called India.

Thane Station - Faceless Crowd - A Security Risk of All Sorts !

This video recording shows the stampede like situation during evening peak hours at Foot Over Bridges at Thane Railway Station. Since the FOBs and Stairs are too narrow they are absolutely incompatible to absorb the ever swelling sea of humanity.

We a group of Thane residents under the banner of Thane First Forum have sent a letter to GM of Central Railways along with Railway Minister Mamata Bannerji in December 2009 but failed to get any response from either of them.

Thane is a historical Station which had received first Train from the Victoria Terminus in 1853 and has developed multi folds during last 10 to 15 years but facilities there remain the same obsolete and non-existent.

If no concrete steps to widen these bridges are taken immediately we feel it can lead to a ghastly disaster any time.

Dharma-Beyond Religion

Every language has few unique words, which are non-translatable. If we try to interpret in some other language, they lose real meaning and give deceptive perspective. However, despite this fact the other reality is that these words on many occasions need to be interpreted to convey the message. In the process we many a time miss on hundred percent expression. Dharma – is one such word originally evolved from Sanskrit and adopted by many Indian languages with full dignity and pride. However, the most communicative language of the world English does not have a parallel to it. Hence, practically on all occasions the word is lost in translation and does not reflect its true significance. Religion is construed to be the nearest analogous to Dharma and being very frequently used instead.

While Religion denotes Faith and Belief, Dharma is far from all these conceptions and represents purity of a spiritual state of mind and soul. While different Religions denote different rituals to comprehend God, Dharma propagates the God within. Different religions may have different perspectives but Dharma is one for all irrespective of one’s religious lineage. It has no conflicts between castes and creeds, faiths and beliefs. Hindus may advocate cremation of the dead; the Religions of Muslims and Christians endorse burial of the body. While Muslims pay reverence to Majaars & Peers and Hindus worship numerous Gods and Goddesses besides Rivers, Snakes, Trees and Spirits with same fervor and devotion but both of them ultimately believe in Oneness of the eternal primacy, equally appreciate the divinity within, and consider it the part of one God –Parmatma or Allah.

While Religion can be different for communities, sects and groups of people, Dharma is same for all mortals. Religion is attached hence biased but Dharma is aloof, detached and unbiased. Religion may or may not lead to spiritualism Dharma is a state of spirituality. Religion is visible and identifies itself with pride Dharma is invisible and humble. Religions can have contradictions but Dharma is beyond conflict. Religion can die but Dharma is eternal. Religion exists because of our beliefs Dharma is cause of our existence.

Though a human is born with religious identity but is supposed to follow the divine law of Dharma to justify his existence as an inseparable part of the Ultimate and finally merge with that supreme One. Now it is our discretion to decide and choose our path during the voyage called Life.

A YEAR AFTER...

I have always felt very tranquil sitting on the shores of Arabian Sea watching the sun set deep in to water. While the gigantic ocean has always given me, a sense of my minuscule and unassuming existence the setting sun has always inflicted an eternal hope for resurgence, belonging, and being relevant and connected with the world as an important fraction of the universe.

I was born in Bombay about four decades prior to when it was christened as Mumbai and approximately a decade before the Maharashtra was born. I had been in the city during the day and the night. During the good times and the bad times. I have always felt that I have not lived in a city I have lived with the city. It has been the city of my ambitions, my struggles, my hopes, my aspirations, my failures and my successes. The city, which was always with me in every thick and thin. The city where I had never felt lonely & threatened.

But on that evening all was changed. For me the falling bodies at VT (CST) station were unambiguously declaring the death of this majestic metropolis. The burning Taj and Oberoi shattered all hopes. Though it was a national tragedy, I felt it as a personal loss. Very personal. First time in Bombay or Mumbai I felt threatened. No one to share my grief. I felt very lonely and very helpless.

However, on the spontaneous resolve by Bombayites to gather at the Gateway to demonstrate solidarity towards city and pay reverence to the departed I dragged myself to the venue with a couple of friends. On the shores of Arabian Sea it was the ocean of humanity touching the fences of VT station.

First time the ocean gave me a sense my enormous existence with a sense of hope and optimism. I realized being an integral and an important part of the movement. I felt very safe and accompanied. The feeling of oneness overwhelmed me. I felt being relevant. The hopes re-energized and faith looking up. Once again, sensation of living with the city came alive. I was fully reinstated.

Now a year later I wonder if that reinstatement will continue to live long or will run down in absence of any concrete and visible positive outcome. If the strength and solidarity shown by citizens that became impossible for establishment to ignore and enforced the authorities to own up the responsibility of attacks still exist or had melted away with passing time.

Will the year of death and disaster be commemorated with some real resolutions and commitments by our self-proclaimed masters-the politicians or will end up with just insincere rallies, dishonest tributes and worthless speeches? Will the mood and concern of Gateway will prevail amongst people and force the government to perform or all that was a momentary emotional outburst, which has faded away with time.

With vital evidences misplaced and important witnesses lost and reprimanded politicians restored to their past glory one is bound to have doubts on the intentions and integrity of the people responsible to deliver justice and can easily imagine the shape of things to come.