MUMBAI: Problem Crisis

We are living in a concrete jungle of Mumbai city. A mega city, the home of Bollywood, the economic powerhouse of India – this is a city that will charm and frustrate you in equal measure. Around 20 million people are connected to each other in different forms, especially when we talk about problems faced by the Mumbaikars. But the question is what common problem in particular? Last week going through the newspapers, I came across a survey undertaken by DNA to find out about problem faced by the people living in Mumbai. The survey included issues like high cost living, water shortage, infrastructure and education.

High cost living & water shortage are considered to be the biggest problem in this city.  The statistic said that around 78% and 67% are concerned about these problems respectively. The water supply problems have deteriorated recently. Although, thankfully, there isn’t a water shortage where I m living. But certainly I have heard from many people about them only getting water for few hours, two times a day. 

Housing prices, which are on par with those of New York City, are also shocking. No matter how much you are earning, you find it less when it comes to owning your own place in Mumbai. Overall, 34% of people said they couldn’t consider buying a home at current prices, and 47% said they could but only on the outskirts of the city. It’s not that you don’t have place to live here. Apartments are available in every part of the city, but money is the issue for the people. So if you dream to own your place in a nice posh area here, it’s important that your bank accounts are filled with crores of rupees. I guess some of us are lucky enough to have our foot in the market. 

Other important issues that Mumbai is facing are infrastructure and education. New developments are being carried out in a haphazard manner, for example the sky walks — many of which are barely being utilized. Where education is concerned, 38% thought that the quality of education has improved. While 62% of people complained education quality has decreased due to the new laws that have been passed by Education Board of Maharashtra. Recently I remember my complaining about donations & expensive school fees. So though it is said that education in Maharashtra is quite cheap, I guess people who want their kids to study in a well known school, they better start saving a good amount from this very moment.

But, surely Mumbai must have plenty in its favor for so many people to keep living there. The most frequently cited factors why people are proud of Mumbai is because of Bollywood, entrepreneurship, and cosmopolitanism. Taking into account all aspects of life in Mumbai, 41% of people rated the quality of life as good and 17% thought it was excellent. Only 12% found it to be poor. And given an option, 48% of people said they’d want to stay in Mumbai. Only 14% wanted to relocate to a different city. The remainder weren’t sure. I’m one of those who are happy to stay! I love this city no matter how it is.

 

Horn Please, Ok

The sound of horn is like a soothing music to the ears of we Indians. We have become so much used to listening to it regularly, that it has become a part of our daily routine. And interestingly we have become so much immune to its sound or use that it has become an integral part of our daily drive or driving skills respectively. In no other country you will hear horn blaring in constant cacophony. I wonder sometimes are the Indian driver competing with each other to discover India’s loudest road user. This happens even when the cars are standing at red light. 

Outside India, honking signals an emergency situation. No one would ever honk in normal circumstance, in some countries horns are used as a sign of protest. But in India, they are used to express your frustration, anger, relief, joy, exuberance & sometimes just because it is there...!!! Obviously for India, the horn is a category in itself. Cities like Mumbai & Delhi tends to follow ‘the tradition of honking.’

What does Mumbai honk at? Why does Mumbai honk? There are the usual reasons — the chaotic traffic. Here the horn is your friend. You want to overtake? You want to change lanes, you need that car in front of you to either speed up or get out of the way? You honk your horn. In a city that doesn’t really follow lane driving, doesn’t move at a consistent pace and doesn’t really care, you need your car to shout a bit. 

Sitting inside your cars, stuck in the traffic jam and you are getting late for the meeting, there are two options — You roll down your window and start shouting; or you use the horn as an extended voice box. In fact most drivers see ‘horn’ as an instrument of fun; they use one hand to steer the vehicle, while other needs something to do so why not make noise. 

'Even a dog doesn't bark without a reason' but 'Honking is like an itch'. The person honking initially feels irritated about the situation but gradually & unknowingly, he starts enjoying the act of honking.

The noise pollution on the road is reaching a dizzying level. The signs telling you that there is a school or a hospital ahead are as good as invisible.  Schools, hospitals and residential areas mandated as no-honking zones in India but ironically, that is where maximum honking happens.

The city feels restless, noisy, and frenzied. You don’t have long peaceful drives anymore. You just get from point A to point C while honking all the way through point B.

Talking about traffic rules, there are none that are being followed. Driving in India is like a play station game, with flashing lights, screeching brakes, cars out of control, horns being used for sound effects. And everything else is left to karma & the insurance company. “This happens only in India.”

Indian Army Warriors who Define Courage

“I'll either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory Or return wrapped in it. But I will be back for sure.” - Captain Vikram Batra, PVC

It’s the 14th anniversary of the Kargil war victory. Its pride and pain for the soldiers, as the nation celebrates the anniversary of the victory against Pakistan. 

I was just 7 years old when the Kargil war took place. I was hardly aware about what it was all about.  Few years later I did come to know about the war fought between the two nations. All I remember is watching movie LoC & my father explaining me about the event as well.
 
Kashmir has always been a disputed region. There have been tensions between Pakistan and India over this for years. The war was fought due to the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LoC which serves as the de facto border between the two countries.

Sometime back I had a privilege to read “The Last Letter written by Captain. Vijyant Thapar (Robin)” to his parents. He was an officer of the Indian Army and belonged to the famous 2 Rajputana Rifles, infantry regiment.

"By the time you get this letter I'll be observing you from the sky enjoying the hospitality of apsaras," read the final letter Vijyant wrote to his family minutes before going in for the final assault, adding that he had no regrets and would join the Army again if reborn as a human. When he was writing that letter he knew that this will be the last one from him. At that very moment too, a feeling of patriotism, love for Mother India was running very high with him and his clan.  

How many of us have ever imagined, how difficult it would have been to receive the mutilated body of her son Capt. Saurabh Kalia- The first martyr of Kargil by her mother. Just give a thought to it. Let’s think for a while.  How difficult it is for a wife to salute the body of her husband, who is wrapped in tri colour before her. As done by the Widow of Major. Vivek Gupta.

Recently my friend told me about him being a part of Mission Kargil 2013.  To commemorate Vijay Diwas on July 26, forty bikers embarked on an 11-day bike expedition to Kargil along with Indian Army.

Mission Kargil 2013: Trail the Path of Heroes will begin from Rezanf La War Memorial, Sector 23, Gurgaon on Friday and end in New Delhi on July 30, 2013.

The expedition would cover a distance of 3,000 km. During the journey, the team would spread Indian Army's goodwill message. The event has been organised by Indian Army Fans, the largest online fan base of Indian army with over 1.4 million followers. Some of the members of the group are women as well. The self-financed mission comprises of people between the age-group of 22-40 years. All the bikes are Royal Enfield and Captain Navin Gulia will lead the group.
                                                                                                                              
I truly believe that, every man and woman in uniforms is the true hero of the nation. They put their life at stake day-in and day-out to safe guard the sovereignty of our country and are even prepared to sacrifice their lives so that their fellow countrymen can lead a happy and peaceful life.

Father’s Message to his son (Capt.Vijyant Thapar)

Son,

The brave way you left this world, at the age of 22 is a measure of how you lived your short life and what you valued. In meeting the stark challenges of capturing Knoll against all odds, during the battle of Three Pimples with heroic coolness and single minded devotion to duty, you have achieved immortal honour. In death you have epitomised the spirit of national pride - an honour which makes every sacrifice worthwhile. Your actions will forever inspire generations of Indians to come. You have left us with pride for being the parents of a worthy son and a lifetime of pain for having lost a child we loved.
                                                                         -Col. V.N. Thapar

"All countrymen must SALUTE OUR Real Heroes of KARGIL DAY." 

In fact all army, air force & navy men of our country deserve to be seen as real heroes. They devote their life for our security & wellbeing. They sacrifice themselves to safeguard our motherland. No matter what I say I will never be able to glorify these heroes with the glory they truly deserve. I may keep on praising them endlessly but still it will be short in terms of praise they truly deserve. But above all I haven’t shared my views to be just read, appreciated & be forgotten. It’s just an effort from my end which I hope may kindle fire in hearts of all readers to do something for their country just the way they desire to do things for their family.  
  
Jai Hind! 
Jai Bharat!

Living In The Moment

If this life is one act
Why do we lay all these traps?
We put them right in our path
When we just wanna be free

I will not waste my days
Making up all kinds of ways
To worry about all the things
That will not happen to me

So I just let go of what I know I don't know
And I know I'll only do this by
Living in the moment
Living our life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
Peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going, I'm already home
Living in the moment

We wake up every day, with new wishes & hopes for tomorrow. Instead of living in our present, we human have a tendency to worry about our future. This only ends up taking away, what we have today. Do we even know what future have in store for us? No one have an idea about what will happen tomorrow. Lets for a moment not talk about the time to come, but we are even clueless about what will happen the very next moment. Life is a mystery; why not leave it just the way it is? And wait for it to unfold its secrets.

 It’s not just about future, but some of us are still stuck in our past. Our past may have been glorious or may have been filled with failures. Some of us are still living in those moments of life. It’s time to let it go & welcome what is waiting for us. 

The only reason we are so future centric is because of the society we live in. We are always thought to think about the coming days & plan them. In the race of life, to have more & more, we tend forget many memorable moments of our life. In this Hippocratic world nothing comes with a guarantee. How can tomorrow have an assurance, that it will be wonderful & exactly the way we want it to be?  Life is a process. No matter how we plan it, it will go with its own flow. There will be ups & downs. Live your life day by day. Nothing is forever in this crazy world.

Today is your only day. Yesterday has passed and tomorrow is never assured. We are not going to be here forever. You never know when you’re going to leave this Earth. Take time to enjoy this day with no regrets. Live in the moment & make it so beautiful, that it is worth remembering.

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. The light is always shinning outside our windows, trying to peep in to lighten our world. But we ignore it. We can never enjoy that light, unless we open that window, & let the light enter into our life. 

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14, 15 NLT)

Living in the moment is a choice. You can choose to experience it later, in which case you will develop a mindset of being happy later which will carry on into your retirement life. This leads to neediness for the rest of your life. Or you can live in this moment now, and not worry about being needy.

If we look around, things are pretty amazing. So stop for a second, enjoy the beauty, feel the magic, drink it in because it won't last forever. All the happiness, romance will fade. Things will happen, no matter how much ever we try to stop it. People will change, sad moments will make its way into our life. Relations will fall apart, love will die. But, maybe not today.

-P.S.: The song used above is by Jason Marz.

Uttarakhand floods: Dhari Devi’s wrath Superstition or co-incidence?

Localities claim that shifting of Goddess Dhari devi’s idol from its original place is the reason for the ravage in Uttarakhand. Thousands of people have lost their lives in the floods & landslides in Uttarakhand.  The legend says that only the upper half of an idol of goddess Kali is called “Dhari Devi’ while her torso is worshipped as a ‘Shree Yantra’ at Kalimath Temple near Guptkashi. As per local lore, Dhari Devi changes in appearance during the day from a girl, to a woman, and then to an old lady. She is considered to be the protector of the Char Dhams.

On June 16 when the idol was shifted, there was a cloudburst over the holy town of Kedarnath ravaged the Hill State, killing hundreds and displacing thousand besides completely wiping out a number of villages. A similar attempt in 1882 by a local king had resulted in a landslide that had flattened Kedarnath. It may be a coincidence, but century’s old faith cannot be ruled out. The people strongly believe that they had to face goddess ire. Dhari Devi’s wrath may or may not be behind the trail of destruction in Uttarakhand, but people have reinforced their beliefs in the divine. No matter how much ever the science & technology has developed, people still believe in such superstitious things. 

Environmentalists describe the tragedy as a man-made disaster while geologists feel the extent of destruction could have been far lesser if stricter regulations had been put in place. Landslide problems are every year faced by people in Uttarakhand. What is indisputable is the story of exploitation of the hills and the resultant ill effects. How ironic it is to state that, deity’s anger can be the reason behind the disaster.