CWG

The Commonwealth Games around the corner and we still embroiled in a battle of politics and controversies. A showcase event that would highlight Delhi as a capital of an emerging economic power dogded by grafts that threatens to ruin this event.Stadiums not finished and political parties and news papers ready to denounce everyone. No one speaking about how we should all unite and try and make the games a sucess. Are we so selfish then that we just want to prove ourselves even at the cost of the country's pride. Do we then lack national pride.Let us for a moment forget our differences and our small petty thining and unite to make the games a sucess and showcase the on thing we have in abundance -our hospitality

HARAPPAN SITE SUFFERS FROM APATHY

Touted as one of the largest burial sites of the Harappan civilisation yielding about 73 burials as also a settlement 1km away in Farmana Khas a village of the Meham region of Rohtak district in Haryana lies abandoned without any marker or protection from vandals or the elements of nature covered by plastic sheets and mud.

The excavation project being conducted by private institutions who have gone leaving it to the mercies of human greed. The villagers offering to sell the land where the site is situated for money shows how the total lack of governance and human apathy could well destroy a part of history forever.

Being one of the few sites of Harappan civilisation close to Delhi its importance in decipehering ancient Indian history cannot be discounted. Historical toursim as evident in Rome and many cities and towns in the world show how it can generate revenue and pay for future excavations and discovery.

H1N1 influenza

India is facing an epidemic of sorts. A secondary explosion of H1N1 infection sweeping through the nation in people who haven’t traveled to any infected nations but may have caught it from infected travelers. Although health screening at airports are continuing but cases are increasing of infections and deaths due to H1NI.

Is it that the screening process is not good enough or is it that newer strains with different symptoms are developing threatening human life and travel? Even education is being held ransom by this spread of infection causing schools to close down.

WHO predicts 33% of all Indians will suffer from the H1N1 influenza by 2011. Fearful isn’t it but then so is living with terrorism, road rage, government apathy and high levels of corruption. Does this mean we all should lock ourselves up and stop shopping, driving, and living our daily lives? Shutting down schools and institutions is a knee jerk reaction bound to cause panic, instead the screening of passengers and other patients who complain of flu like symptoms should become more stringent and private hospitals and nursing homes become more accountable for their actions/inaction. Nursing homes and private hospitals are mushrooming like wild fungus. These nursing homes and expensive hospitals mere money making organization for their owners disregarding their social role in a developing country.

The government should have stringent measures in place to check these private medical care institutions. Proper rules and punishment a deterrent to their illegal functioning. The government should make the testing available to these private healthcare institutions so that we could diagnose these cases avoiding death. Only then can we hope to survive this new threat looming in the near horizon.

The role of government in aviation today

The private sector owned by businessmen whose sole intentions to run an airline was to make profits and not for any social causes or welfare development. October 15th 2008 Naresh Goyal announces that Jet Airways would lay off 1900 employees as they were running at a loss. Kingfisher boss liquor baron Vijay Mallya had laid off 300 employees and indicated that more would lose their jobs. The laid off employees demonstrated outside the airports holding placards and raising slogans. The press and media felt their cause worth highlighting and sympathized with them. The result, Government of India pressurized oil companies to bail these airlines out by deferring their dues owed to them.
On July 3rd three hundred Air India employees strike work carrying red flags as they are not paid their due salary. The government takes a tough stance and the news and media and everyone lambast the Air India employees of being overfed white elephants (AIR INDIA is a public sector undertaking whose sole aim is to provide social equality under the five year plan and to provide services to routes not economically feasible and to help evacuate Indians from places and nations in war zones. The evacuation of Indians from Kuwait in 1990 was a world record.)Air India asks for a bailout package from the government. Everyone is ready to sack all employees of Air India and shut the airlines down.
The Federation of Indian airlines (private airlines) decide to stop operations of domestic flights from August 18th due to acute economical crisis. Air India employees assured the government of full cooperation when the private airlines would stop operations.
The Government assured FIA they would look into the grievances and work something out so that the private airlines could function. Wondering about the role of government and private sector and the media

The Passing Of A Legend -Michael jackson

Today were the funeral services of a legend,Michael Jackson,at the Staples centre in Los Angeles where living greats spoke of this legend this 'King of Pop' and paid tribute to him.As a young teenager I was listening to his songs,aping his steps, sprinkling powder on the floor trying the moonwalk and now my teenagers are crying to see their favourite singer pass away.
Indeed a legend has lived and died and entertained all and is now moving to entertain that King of All Kings in the greatest theatre of all.May his soul rest in peace this greatest of all entertainers,dogged all his life with controversies.
Only in death which shatterred all even his critics silencing them all, making them all acknowledge his greatness.
What a pity that we selfish humans in life hurt everyone and only death and the loss of human life makes us peer into ourselves and praise the one we wronged.
If only when he was alive and we had it in our heart to understand him would he have been peaceful and lived more to entertain us for a little longer.So cursed are we because of this limitation of our thought process

Glamourising our poverty

India , land of a resurgent economy, where the abject poor struggle to survive amongst the richest of the rich. Where we all are guilty of showcasing this vulgar display of poverty. The world outside is also salving their conscience by highlighting this display by awarding Oscars to SLUM DOG MILLIONNAIRE .

Everyone making a killing showcasing poverty like it was all that exists in our land -India. Whereas India,a land where the rich and the royals had design houses like Jean Paul Gaultier, Cartier, Louis Vuitton design shoes, bags, clothes for them. Where Maybach cars are sold in plenty, where Montblanc pens are used to sign blank cheques,.Where the Taj Mahal magnificient like a lotus blooming in the dirt of the industrial soot spewed around it , where the passengers spilling out from the crowded compartments of the Sabarmati Express and the quiet and opulent comfort of the Palace on Wheels chugging along for the Indian Railways coexist.The Indian spirit undaunting in the face of years of threat of terrorism

In this magnificient land of the plenty why do we then showcase only the have nots. Is it that we in these times of recession feel assuaged by this show of poverty lulling us into a false sense of prosperity.

Justice for the terrorist

Now they want justice for the terrorists citing the law of democratic India. Wow these pompous lawyers in their comfortable airconditioned offices trying to gain publicity by such tricks.
The terrorist whose only purpose is to destroy human life and instill fear and disharmony should be tried in a court of law for humans seems strange.
Politicians trying to gain vote banks making comments allowing our country to be torn by religious sentiments and create disharmony in a secular state thereby completing the task set upon by the terrorists. And yet we allow this in the name of democracy and political voting.