Under the Carpet

This post has got nothing to do with the most famous pass time of our political class and the second nature of the babus, hiding the facts and trying to present the irrelevant as the most important issue to the general public. It is about the most common occurrence in our houses.

“Anything which is not used for six months need not be purchased.”

The above statement should amply explain that I am referring to the habit of a household to keep on accumulating things which it seldom uses. We normally doesn’t realise how many once-used or unwanted and unessential things lie in our houses. We realise these useless things lying around, when we change our house or move to a different town.

Our memory too fails us in reminding that the thing which we go to purchase when required is already lying in some forgotten corner of the house. And even when we spot the thing, we might hesitate to dispose it thinking that that might be of some use sometime in future… which might never come.

Some websites offer us the opportunity to get rid off unwanted stuff, but our nature of holding things for some or the other reason including sentimental, holds us back from doing so. Some cultures or counter-cultures practice frugal living… I too think its time to do that to save money, effort and space in the house.

But I might not do so, because the fun of finding an unexpected thing lying in a corner of the house is nothing less than an exiting ‘DISCOVERY’.

Waking Up Early

Since a couple of years I have been waking up at an exact time of the day everyday, which can qualify to be called 'early', the time of writing and posting these lines is no reference to the time of the day. 

So, what is 'waking up early', is it a sign of disciplined living, a sign of ageing, indication of the previous day or night which was peaceful, a sign of adjusted and tuned body clock, just a habit, compulsion or need to attend to some task, or due to some tension, stress or disease condition!  But whatever may be the reason, I realised it is good in more than one way.

• You can enjoy life more than others, cause sleeping is such a waste of time (though sleeping used to be my favourite thing once).
• Watch TV without disturbance from and or giving-away to the pressure of other members of the family.
• Enjoy the play of colours and light in the morning sky.
• Have a good walk in the calm surroundings, pure air and birds singing along.
• Peacefully ponder on the not so peaceful thoughts criss-crossing your mind.
• Be prepared to face the day in a more relaxed manner.
• Lastly, retain the 'Right to Sleep' right away if you don't feel like doing any of the above...

I choose to sleep again today....!

Shouting is not sensible

The  Editor-in-Chief and News anchor for the news channel ‘TIMES NOW’ Mr Arnab Goswami maybe a very knowledgeable person, but he sure is one irritating and intimidating character. The news channel may have many viewers and it has managed to get those many number of people feeling repulsive whenever this man is seen on the screen.

Why does he SHOUT? Does he think that shouting is a quality and class act of presentation and the only way for attracting more TRPs! He may be having good understanding about the political issues, he definitely has a gift of gibber-jabber but he surely is and becomes irksome on some occasions. I have rarely seen him let the panellist on any discussion complete their points of view.

‘TIMES NOW’ belongs to the group that publishes the English newspaper ‘Times of India’, which is nothing but a popular and colourful tabloid in my view. The music on the TV channel too plays as if it is always readying the nation and the viewer for a war.

The channel surely needs a different theme, a change in presentation pattern and a good pleasant background music… a minimum to retain the viewers, if they can’t change their STAR ANCHOR!

Doodling

Doodling is a decent word describing idleness, what does one do if there is  nothing more important to do or has some time to wail away! In the past one just slept, watched TV, read or do petty tasks and attend to odds which get left out in the otherwise busy routine.

But with the city living and change in life styles it is far less expensive and convenient to seek entertainment and engagement on the internet. Social interaction may not be the aim always, the inherent human dumbness makes people to get fully engaged on social sites. The old timers and the uninitiated may call this addiction, but it is not. It is far more educative and informative, only if one knows and consciously engages in productive net surfing.

Multi-tasking is one thing which everyone must do to maximise and optimise the time and resources available in our immediate sphere of day-to-day living environment.

SUBSTANDARD AS A STANDARD

Accepting anything 'Substandard as a Standard' has become a norm in India, any act, product, or service falling into the categorisation of "SUBSTANDARD" is sure to escape the attention of even the most critical of the eyes as the Substandardness is so ingrained in our thought, deed, action and psyche that it is a status Non-Grata in the Indian scheme of things.

National psyche is so tuned to accept Substandard that there is no system, administrative delivery mechanism, which raises an eyebrow for consistent delivery of atrocious quality of service. Indian Standards have over the years become a synonym for Substandard approach.

The all pervasive attitudes of "Chalta Hai and Jugaad" have ruined the moral fibre of the people. "Substandard as a Standard" is such an 'arrogant engulfing Black Hole', that there seems to be no escape from its trap at this point of time.

It seems that Substandardness has creeped into social etiquette affecting one and all with a feeling given to foreigners that the whole country is committed to the cause of Substandard like no other, even urgency to remove poverty, fight corruption, implementation of systems reform and issues of national security seem secondary. The condition in the country leaves us with a question that,   'Do we really understand what a Standard is!!'

Take the case of Indian made equipment or Made for India goods, here even multinational firms have learnt the tricks-of-the-trade and seems to have adopted well to the Indian Standards while producing goods meant for domestic consumption. Shoes especially the sports shoes are available in different sizes of intermediate foot length, height, width in most parts of the world except India. From Farm equipment, Military hardware, research and development institutes, organisation of a sports event to hospital services the Standard is nowhere to be seen. The sense of quality is just not there in the industry in India there by increasing the craze for imported goods. Everyone claims that their product is of 'international standard' without specifying or even probably understanding what does that world standard mean and its relevance to Indian realities. The substandardness in services is so much so that even the individuals with ill begotten money stash it away in foreign banks. 

Indian indigenous capacity is ingeniously incapable to conceive or deliver anything of Standard.

It is not a harsh statement or said due to inferior feeling but a hard fact and out-of-frustration of inability to get a Standard product or service despite being willing to pay an extra amount for quality. Just look around you and be true to yourself without nationalistic fervour then you will come to know what kind of Substandard environment we all are living or accepted to live in and of any India made item and its Standard. Public transport(rail and road), the quality of roads, safety systems offered in our cars, preparedness for all types of unforeseen circumstances including war, matters of international relations, hospitals, medicines, postal service, electrical department, police, municipal governing bodies, schools (Private and government alike), research institutes and from soap to space including the food we get to buy is all Substandard.  Here I have no intention to type some more issues of Substandard attitude of our society towards meeting or even thinking about the needs of differentlyabled, aged people, women and children. May be we are not taught during formal learning or upbringing to demand quality, our genetic setup too must have got modified to accept Substandard as a Standard. 

The only Standard in India is Substandard... Live it, Love it, Loathe it but   Lump it up.

It all comes to accepting Substandard stuff, the core question is... why nobody demands? why nobody questions? its an unsolved puzzle! Social activists and other nice hearted people with concern, for quality of life talk off big issues leaving the small but nagging issues neglected. The Substandard has become an omnipresent thing missed even by the 24x7 story hungry media. Maybe we all have accepted and resigned to the reality that there is no escape from Substandard as Standard. Maybe there is mental peace and calmness for soul in accepting and resigning without giving a fight and let things as they are where they are... by doing this we all Indians are a hundred thousand steps closer to attaining 'Nirvana'. Then one must not complain about anything and might jolly well accept the state of affairs as they are. 

One wonders what the BIS or ISI is doing or has been doing to improve the Standards in the country, it seems grossly ill-prepared to cover all the concerns of quality and standards by the citizens in all the spheres of their life.

Lokpal Bill, whenever it sees the light of the day will also be delivered Substandardly. Bring it on... I am loving it. We have to include the Standards in the curriculum of education lest the children will grow up on the culture of Substandard and assuming the Substandard as a Standard will deliver to the society in a Substandard way when they are at a position to affect and execute.

Some trivia... 'Who is India's satellite and spacecraft manufacturer?' (we all know the answer, then try...) 'Who is India's leading manufacturer of safety pins and nail cutters?' (I bet no one knows the answer). Made in xyz country retains quality and no sooner its technology is transferred and it becomes Made in India it becomes Substandard. Lest we forget 'IST' the famous Indian Standard Time.

Accept the fact that India has Alchemical properties to convert any thing into Substandard, with an Eternal Patent to the formula of Substandardness. 

If not confirming to any Standard gives us absolute freedom to be Indians, then so be it!

No Substandard comments Oops... No Standard comments will be accepted.

The silence of honest men seems somehow more dishonest than the lies of the dishonest.

On Free Speech

I have a long awaited query and an unanswered question, still open for answers... "Is Democracy and too much Freedom a bane for India?"

Are we stumbling as a group of people living in a nation, which is formed by default on various societal, structural and systematic fault lines. The issues which come up each day in the national media are mostly trivial issues and provide comic relief to the majority of sane and discerning grey cells. 

It is painful to see the freedom of the country, achieved with so many pains and sacrifice of many generations, going down the drain on pointless and petty issues. Democracy seems to be fast becoming the 'Demonstration of the Crazy'. 

The situation even after so many decades of self-rule is failing to trigger a serious introspection in the administrative quarters those yield power and have the capability or responsibility to show a saner path. This is fuelling the support to strong views of state control, but who in the state in these situations can be trusted? or capable to do the 'tight-rope-walk' of allowing 'Free Expression' and ensuring free space available for 'Fair Expression', I wonder, the answer is none!

 It is true that discretionary power and discerning capability about the decisions made are best left to the individual. Provided even the strongest of the strong views are kept to oneself and not try to impose or enforce on others against their will. Certainly the state is not expected to play a role in these decisions and try to censor what to see, whom to love, whom to pray and what to read? But, these are all the side-effects of electoral politics, which people fail to understand and allow themselves to be exploited. The state too is run by the individuals elected resultant of this political system which likes to play to the gallery. These leaders of men are also found to be cynical to the core on more than one occasions. 

The state must concentrate on important issues and the issues of culture are better left for the time and society to decide. No one could stop invasion of our society by foreign religions, language, goods, culture, system, spread of consumerism, invasion of technology and even new festivities... Change can't be restricted with regressive and forceful impositions by a section of people, the majority of people will automatically stay away from something that is unpleasant or impractical in the current societal settings. 

The state shouldn't decide and mustn't allow any disruption to anything(legally allowed) that is done at the individual level, more so, when it is an expression of art.  

I also hoard a contrary opinion, that 'There can't be and shouldn't be anything that is absolutely free', "Lest it will become obsolete and will be abused obsessively".

The last para is open to discussion and debate in a different media...   

In response and responsible reply to Sanjay Chetia's article.

CHILDREN ARE FLOWERS - TREAT THEM TENDER

We all are children at heart, Never grow-up...

Keep doing things that you like most and give you happiness.

How I yearn to be a child again... 

Missing childhood & being a child.

Children and their needs are commonly not taken seriously. The actions are termed either as childish, immature or kiddish. The actions and initiative of children also get restricted often with the excuse that "Do it when you grow-up" or "Your time has not come" and mostly "Stop! Don't do it", the children are not slaves they also deserve an explanation and reason for each command and direction of elders. No Nation can develop in an all round manner by neglecting the needs of children. The Human Development Index often covers only the measurable and tangible 'statistical facts' missing a lot of intangible things that go in making a child turn into a better human. Even the most learned and educated parents too try to rub on a child their experience and essence of life as understood by them.

There is no denying the fact that the foundations laid in the childhood will see the child in good stead in the life ahead, but foundations at the cost of losing the 'Joy of Growing-up', stifling the child with only academic skills and not aiming at all round development is highly criminal. A typical high school child's day starts with interrupted sleep to prepare to attend the school early in the morning to continued classes and tuition in the late evening, thus leaving no time to play and pursue other activities. The plight of the child in grades appearing a Year-end Public Exam and boarders is further worrisome. No wonder the stress levels and poor-result oriented suicides are on a rise. The eagerness of parents to provide the best of education to their children and lack of sincere and quality Government schools have lead to unprecedented mushrooming of a variety of schools....Premium Pre-school, Play School, Private School, Chain Public School, Charity Institutes, International School, Gurukul, Madrasa, Autonomous University, Deemed University...(Gender Specific Schools)...what not and what may!

The availability of a wide variety of educational institutes would've been good if they all showed some sincerity and maintained standards rather than aiming to make money. Most schools across all sections and varieties only barring a handful don't have adequate amenities like...clean toilets, safe drinking water, play grounds, gymnasium, swimming pool, laboratories, libraries, medical emergency handling equipment, planed fire escapes with equipment and trained qualified dedicated professionals among the least and last requirements. Most schools are run in hired residential complexes converted into classrooms. The list of under prepared schools is surprisingly exhaustive with a licensing system in place. The system as usual and as ever has been hood-winked by the influential businessmen seeking school permits.

Government schools are mostly an apology to the schooling system and the situation is more grave than it is thought to be with most of the children having access to the education only by means of a Government school. The RTE Bill (Right to Education part of 'Sarva Siksha Abyan') passed without improving the capability and capacity is doing no good than adding to already confused state of affairs. The menace of teacher absenteeism in all Government schools mostly in remote areas is counter-productive all the good the Government wants to do in the education sector as reforms.  

The scholastic way of preparing children for life is the most skewed approach of all methods of preparing a child for greater responsibilities in life. The whole environment from parents, family to the society is only giving importance and recognition to the marks or grades obtained in the formal education. Emphasis on scores leads to immoral activities and practices at a very tender age. The other options for taking-up a different and alternate career other than the popular trio of 'Doctor-Engineer-Government Employee' are still at a nascent stage having less acceptability as a viable livelihood means. The few options available in Vocational and alternate occupations are still looked down upon fearing societal scrutiny and peer pressure. Parents can't be totally blamed for pushing their children through the beaten path as there are inevitable comparisons drawn measuring the success based on pay packets, Government job, software job and the associated status of the post in the society. The degree attained or obtained also becomes a benchmark in demanding and denying dowry. Girls do higher studies to find a prospective groom with heavy pay packet or foreign job. In the bargain there remains no difference in 'Studying and Education'. 

All the above situations kill the independent thought process in the children of taking up different options available to pursue a career. Here it is pertinent to mention that a mid-career shift and change of career is seen as a taboo in India, most young men take up the most convenient career and settle in that career for life, even if they realise at a later stage that it is no longer enjoyable to continue. The system as a whole doesn't allow a child to evolve into a thinking human being, he remains just a contributor to the GDP and does no value addition to the society and country. The induced and infused orthodox approach and thinking towards a career options is evident in the research capabilities of our universities and lack of real scientific temperament in the society. The same set of individuals perform and achieve splendid results under a different system and set of conditions in many foreign countries. I have less exposure to other systems of education but strongly feel that something is still not right and much needs to be done in our scheme of things for children to make them understand life in the right perspective.

Talking of other aspects in growing-up of a child apart from education are many more issues routinely ignored by all. Parents should not pamper their children or be overbearingly protective in bringing them up. Parents don't prepare children for the uncertainties of life, they hide bitter facts about the complex journey of life and relationships leading to children becoming weak individuals seeking support in terms of unreliable friends, falling prey to bad habits, early psychological break-downs and making them meek individuals. The over protective attitude coupled with confusion due to exposure various elements through social media contacts may either lead a child to adopting radical ideas or falling prey to unsocial elements and their activities. Parents must always ensure that their wards are aware of the right path of doing things, be present as guide and correct when necessary. 

I must also mention the other enemies of childhood here, Child Labour, Abusive Parents, Sexual Abuse (sexual awareness is still an untouchable aspect with most boys and girls approaching puberty and young people their acts of promiscuity with out having proper understanding). Trying to create 'Child Prodigy' of 'One Act Wonder Kids' had almost taken an alarming situation in the recent past. Fashion Industry is another culprit in inducing children especially young girls to the odds and adult things early in life.

Most of us don't take the responsibility of parent as an important aspect of life than treat it as mere accident or vocational hazard of being married. Parents must plan and produce children when they are ready for it and just not for the heck of it or fun of it. Indian parents spend family holidays and free time either sleeping, watching TV or visiting relatives and roaming around religious places. The same amount of family holiday time could be well spent in introducing children to the aspects of life not taught as part of curriculum in schools. visiting museums, historical places, industrial trips, village communities, adventure activities and eco-tourism are just few among the suggested activities. 

An important aspect of humans as per my understanding is pertinent to understand and follow in this perspective.

"A human seldom changes after 13 years of age...change he will only for a short duration under influence of either or OR combined effect of 

1. Death of a near and dear one, 

2. Under financial burden and 

3. Ill-health". 

It is needless to say that a child has to be moulded and prepared for life much before we all think and allow him or her enjoy childhood before that...             A DELICATE BALANCE TO ACHIEVE THOUGH!