Toilets First, Temples Later !!

Words are events when spoken by politicians who are in permanent argument with history. 

"Toilets first, Temples later" – A couple of days ago we heard this new mantra, quoted by some as 'modi mantra'. Narendra Modi invoked this comment during one of his campaigns in the national capital, visibly flaring the masses. This man, sometimes coined as Gujarat's gold digger, is more known as a man who gave a new dimension and redefined politics and development in the name of Gujarat and less as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, the godhra riots being his weak wicket. His remark bubbled to heights, ending with lesser appreciation and more criticism. But the important question still lies in front of us. Did we get to the actual depth of that remark ? Are we really concerned about our Sanitation and Hygiene ? We are heading towards a sanitation crisis in india, Can we just ignore that ? Or Do we really want to see a different india, an india that at least deserves to have proper sanitation facilities, after settling for more than six decades post independence.

When the issues like 'sanitation' or 'toilets' are debated, believe me, any kind of comment from any person is far more tolerant than it can be conceived of. Atleast the statistics refuse to disagree with my statement. The bigger question is rather more painful, excrutiatingly dismal i will say.

Nobody likes the smell of truth. Surveys and statistics continue to raise a stink suggesting that less than one-third of our rural population have toilets. Lack of public toilets lead the multitude to defecate in the open, thereby degrading the lives of the already impoverished villages. I agree that the urban masses are equipped with considerably more public toilets but nevertheless they are still crippled with poor sanitation and disposal facilities. As much as 65% of the indian population is suffering from scarcity of toilets while more than half of the population is equipped with mobiles, indicates a latest 2011 census. Ironically, this is the truth behind the curtain. More people in India have mobile phones than toilets.

It is an unargueable fact that in india you can't find a single village devoid of temples. Meanwhile, toilets have been far left off. History illustrates that religion has always been used in our country as a weapon to deceive people. Now, it depends on us to decide whether to prioritize temples ahead of toilets or vice versa. Whether to remark this as insulting or awakening, is an individual's personal freedom of choice or opinion.

I will try not to justify any statement here. The Aam aadmi, perhaps, knows much better than me. I, personally, believe that india desperately needs far more toilets than it needs temples. I just wonder and hope that before we finish another decade, 1.23 billion souls should persist with better lives towards a brighter future, even if it costs them a fortune.

Incredible India. Really ??

We have always believed that we live in an Incredible India. A country that has so much to give for. Accounting for various rich cultures, traditions, heritage etc. to being called the "Golden Bird", we profoundly enunciate these things whenever we get the time or occasion, staging our patriotism to the apex. Sometimes I wonder, are we really that great ? Just close your eyes for a while and ask yourself the same question. Thrice. 

Obviously there are no easy answers. In some ways, we truly are but in others we aren't. I am sorry but we will have to accept that.

Sometimes, I personally believe that we have always strived to live as hypocrites though out our lives, since ages. This is just my personal opinion and has been written with no intention to hurt anyone in any way. In fact, hypocrisy is all revolving around us. We make some ground rules and undoubtedly some of them are good ones indeed. The same ethics and values do stand correct for a set of people but ironically some fall apart and go invalid in case we (supposedly) consider a different set of homo sapiens. People change and so do their beliefs. We make our pain and sufferings rise to heights, enunciating the misery of life just to embrace the so-called social status in the face of society. A whopping dowry ensures the status, while no one cares if one crumbles to accumulate bread and butter afterwards. Parents want to imbibe the entire oxford dictionary into their kids and typically every kid in the country is expected to turn out to become the greatest of engineers and doctors. On the other hand, they can't afford letting their kids to see some of hollywood movies as they are just believed to be sexual emoticons and thereby try to dogmatise the child's beliefs as well.

I totally agree that the entire world cannot be summarised on a single point of view. People need to grow, open up, especially the kids as they are the future of society and country. Apart from a few exceptions, I can confidently argue that most of the kids in our country are not allowed to pick a career of their own choice. I mean what more of an ironical side can you expect ? Sadly, this is our tragic lifestyle. We always do things affirmatively to impress others, those others who can hardly pronounce our existence on the planet. One is allowed to stab another in front of an entire mob and no one utters a word, while a kiss to your loved ones can be more shameful, offensive and dangerous to your health considering the same grounds of society, people etc.

We believe that western culture is destroying us but fail to see that even our eastern culture didn't turn out to be great as well. We always blame the west for eroding our culture. Which western culture are we talking about ? The same culture which provided us telephones, electricity and much more ? I will try not to sound biased but we really need to give some second thoughts before passing judgements on something.

These are some serious questions being posed to our society, our India. I will not attempt an answer here as this is not my place to do so. The answer has to come from the society and the people themselves. Where do we want our Indian society to go ? Do we want to progress vertically and help ourselves build a nation where our youth can meet their aspirations ? I hope that one day our country will emerge as a nation that it is contemplated of. We expect of the golden days to come when one will get the complete freedom, freedom to live one's own way, freedom to choose careers, freedom to wear whatever one wishes to, without any fear of being judged by any other individual.

Hope for a Shining India !! Incredible India !!

P.S.: This blog has been written with no intention to hurt or offend anyone. This is totally a blogger's personal opinion. I love my country and am totally proud of it.

An everlasting experience as a trainee.

It all started on 28th October 2012, the day which embarked the beginning of a new astounding journey. A bunch of tepid as well as keen faces outside DLF office were waiting to get inside their dream premises, apprehensively eager to mark their presence in the corporate world. Everyone was allowed to get inside, in the spirit of being a member of tata family. Formalities were completed followed by a technical check test. Finally, people were demarcated into various disciplines and journey was set to start for a 90 day intensive learning and development process.

The initial days of our learning program were followed by the formal informative and induction sessions, thus imbibing values on which the backbone of the company stands. Now, the serious business started with the technical and business sessions intended to improve our skills so as to survive effectively in this giant sector. Our dreadful technical sessions and fantabulous business sessions completely counterbalanced each other.

With each passing day, associates became acquaintances and acquaintances became friends. Some were technically sound, some were genuinely naïve while some were beginners as well. With each passing day, we started cracking jokes, celebrating birthdays and partying around. Some were really good at imitating people, though we realized it late. Now our batch had got singers as well as dancers and indeed the good ones whose performances were highly awaited. In spite of our hectic schedule, we managed to visit Mahabaleshwar, one of the most exotic nearby destinations.

This meticulously planned learning phase is on the verge of getting over. It has made us learn and acquire every conceivable skill within its limits. It has transformed us from a college graduate to a corporate professional. This will always remain in our hearts as the most memorable times of our lives. It would be quixotic to say that this ILP may last forever, but we are happy and content enough to being a part of it. Though the memorabilia is too susceptible to be expressed in mere words, I will be concluding here keeping in account the page constraints.