Veggies....Uh...do they really have a reason to be???

Haven't written in a long time as is evident from my never updated pages since the last post! Much water has flown under the bridge since then...and things too aren't the same anymore.....No more down South; now actually i've climbed to almost the top - the capital, Delhi! Not the best place to be but unquestionably the best when it comes to achieving what i want to....Perhaps veggies come in wholesale up here! But this disappointment will soon wither away when you learn that Beer sells for a mere 45 bucks, thats almost half the usual rate at other places....alrite, goa is always an exception when we talk of booze! I still miss it....had a blast there a couple of years back!

Back to Delhi, I must say that the people here need more lessons in civics....Most of them just know business and really dont bother to bother about the place or people around! Thats really disappointing and I would rate Bangalore higher in this case. However, am having to learn a lot about my country, its policies, relations, topography, history, polity, economy and what not! But its turning out to be an interesting adventure in a field I have always dreamt of being a part of but first time treading upon!

But yes, I have also a lot to talk about the fate of Indian policies - be it in terms of employment, poverty, education or women empowerment. I wont make this cumbersome with statistics and all but its shameful that even after so long, we dont have any concrete policy to deal with any of the above mentioned troubled areas. True, India is a diverse country and not one particular policy would satisfy all the regions but there have been so many policies launched and called off or merged with one another that its an extremely difficult task for a common educated man to understand and remember all those! then what would happen to the lay man? besides, when they prepare the annual budget, do they ever consult the common people, the farmers, or the working class? No, never...they will consult the industrialists!

There has been so many recommendations from numerous committees but all on paper...they'll never be realised thanks to the powerful politicians of India! Most horrific is the condition of Indian Police.... Lot to write about but will continue later....

When'll things change?

Its 21st century and is there anything that our extravagant lifestyles would crave for? Unfortunately, if this question is asked to the privileged section of the society living in the metros, most of them will start wondering shamelessly what else they can ask for to lead a more king-sized livelihood…. But ask the same to a resident of “Vijaynagar” and you may be taken aback by hearing their wants…Yes, just like it astonished me when I read about the plight of these people staying in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh…I forgive myself and the readers if at first thought Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Vijayanagar’ came to your mind; after all how much do we genuinely know about our country and just ask a few street goers to name the seven North-eastern states, you’ll find most of them fumbling, forget about knowing their capitals! Huh, that’s how things are in India…given such a scenario, its only quite normal to see so many new anti-social groups springing up in these North-eastern states. But for now let me not enter a different arena while I am writing from a different perspective.
Vijaynagar, a place surrounded by Myanmar from all sides lies in the far flung district of Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh, the largest North-eastern state in terms of area. The place is inhabited mostly by the ‘Lisu’ tribe and immigrants from Myanmar. Here a 30 kg cement bag costs a whopping Rs.3000 while mustard oil comes at Rs.150 per litre! There are no landline telephone networks or mobile towers and the only telephone booth charges Rs.50 per call at Rs.5 per minute! The only road linking the nearest town, Miao to Vijaynagar (157 km) is inoperative…The only link with the outside world is an Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft which lands once a week to deliver Govt. rations etc., of course only if weather permits. Needy villagers attempt to grab a flight in AN-32 to reach the Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh district, Assam to make it to Miao where they can get the basic amenities. Quite tragically, only about 20-25 villagers can do so every month; patients get priority! For others, the only option is a 6-day trek through the thick jungles of Namdapha forest to reach Miao…… These people don’t even have a way to express their angst to the outside world - the last MP elected from this constituency didn’t bother to visit the place and the funniest part - the villagers are enthusiastic to exercise their voting rights this time too but they haven’t even seen or met the contesting candidates! True, the location of the place is extreme and the Air Force pilots admit that it’s dodgy to land the AN-32 in the ALG (Advanced Landing Ground) strip. But when will the leaders look to improve the lives of these people? Not that these people are the worst affected in the country but someone has to begin somewhere…the most aweful part – there is a ‘somewhere’ but there is no ‘someone’!!!

Indian Politics - Dog's tail?

I am genuinely impressed by the illustrious work and contributions of the Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, in the recent dramatic industrial developments taking place in Gujarat. Many even hail him as the most suitable candidate for the post of the Prime Minister of India. I am not a follower of the Congress or BJP either but the recent remarks Modi made about Priyanka Gandhi-Budiya, Gudiya etc are in my opinion very shallow and its surprising to hear it from a person of his stature! These remarks show how cheap are the thoughts of the politicians of this country and its really shameful on our part. I dont suppose he consider himself to be in the early twenties? I undersatnd that a person is young or old as per his thoughts but where are those youthful refined thoughts of his? The face of Indian politics is never going to change if we keep on with this 'blame game'. BJP needs to look beyond its stubborn 'Hindutva' policy if it wants to come to power... My request to you is to respect the youth of this country and stop these tongue lashings!!! ITS NOT THAT WHAT YOU ARE UNDERNEATH, ITS WHAT YOU DO THAT DEFINES YOU....