"Are we really ready to take Initiatives"

Well.... I hope everybody of you have watched the social awareness adds by Lead India, Jaago Mission and other such organizations and I am also damn sure that they had also awaken you to do something great and good for your country and its citizens( at least for 10 to 15 min. I think).

Now why I am saying all this? This is a great question indeed, because a recently something happened with me and I was confused that whether its really worth it to take any initiative for the betterment of the people or not.

Two days back I was going somewhere in my home town and for that I had to cross a place called "Chang Gate" which is quiet a busy place and traffic runs in all four directions at that place. One information for all of you is that our city doesn't have traffic lights and I beg your pardon to say that the traffic police is of no use( I have a reason for that too). That evening against all odds, I saw a traffic jam at that place... isn't it a WOW thing that you are struck in a traffic jam and that too in a place which has a population of just 2.5-3 lakhs. The condition was such that each and everybody was in a hurry to get out of it as soon as possible but no body was ready to give anybody other any side.... and then first time in my life I took initiative to sort out a way to clear the way so that traffic could become OK... but this did not last for more than 5 minutes because as soon as I stepped out of my car( I generally avoid driving car, but my work was such that I had to use car) and asked a gentleman( which was only till he did not open his mouth to speak) to move his vehicle a bit backward because he was standing with his bike right in the middle of the road. The reply which he gave was " Mein kyu hatu, aur tu kahin ka prime minister aaya hai kya jo mujhe bol raha hai".........again I must use WOW... that was so disastrous that I sat back into my car and waited the traffic to run smoothly. People somehow managed to again bring the traffic to normal in 15 min. and till that time there was no Traffic policeman there as they were busy in making challans just a km ahead.

Now after this do you still feel that it is feasible to take initiatives, where people do not have the right attitude to talk leave aside any other sense. Our father of the nation said that BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD, that too fails at some point of time.... how people are going to change when they are not ready to listen what other person is trying to say..... Its still a big challenge.....

"Exams"

Hooooooooo........ Now this might be the expression of many who are just like me...... I mean of 90% students remaining 10% cannot be said students because they are born scholars and exams for them is like an opportunity to again show the world their potential and to rest of students that they cannot do what they can....

I am not being cynical here but its a fact which I believe everyone knows. Since my childhood these exam days are the worst to pass, day seems like never ending and whole nights seems to be nightmares. Many a times it has happened with me that I'd given many of my papers during my sleep only( I dream of being in examination hall) and by God the performance in those was far better than the actual one. Might be a matter to laugh upon for many but a true and bitter fact for me.

Now coming on to serious note, why always students want to run away or they want to avoid to take tests or exams. Most probably the reason might be that they always need some more time to prepare and secondly the pressure which is faced by student from multiple sources which requires every student, every son, every daughter to be a topper amongst their circle, even i felt the same many times. If I am true to myself then I can say that I hate exams not because I hate to study or doesn't want to study but only because when the results of exams are out and you'd not performed as per the expectations of people then perception towards you changes and thats the worst part of life that when people treat you on the basis of the results. Even sometimes I feel that the whole education system should be changed in India, that is more stress should be laid on practical knowledge rather than bookish. Don't know what could be done of this system or how much time it will take to change. Till that time exams will be there and students will avoid them any how.

Well this was just my way of alleviating my own stress of exams, but the fact is still the same that 90% of the students want to run away from exams.

* the statistics of 90% and 10% are from my own experience and this data could differ from the range of marks people get in their exams.

"What Exactly Development is for India?"

'Development' is the word which explain an act of improving, expanding or enlarging. What does this mean in case of a country? I think its the same that a country improves and refine its different sectors like education, health, technology and many more. We are hoping that India is going to become a Super Power by 2020, no doubt we should always hope good but is this thing going to become a reality or just will be a dream.

You might be thinking that why I am being so sarcastic in talking about our own country, I apologize for that and respect our country as a true citizen. Undoubtedly, I can say that I am proud to be an Indian.

We have reached moon in October 2008 by our first space mission "Chandrayaan 1" with a cost of around $80 million, yes $80 million. Don't you think that this figure is not small for a country like India where millions of people still strive to get a two time meal. We are coming up with malls, residential societies and other huge infrastructures with 24 hours power supply and in case of emergency power back up too but have we ever thought about those villages and rural areas where electricity still a mystery and they all go in darkness with the sun set. We talk about health care when people in most part of the country do not even get pure and safe water to drink and they got trapped in many waterborne and lethal diseases and infections. We talk about technological development of the country that is to come up with super computers and new technological gadgets when 35% of Indian population is still illiterate.

No doubt government is doing a lot to improve all these conditions but still lags behind in what actually should be done. I know to suggest or to criticize is easy but to implement is a difficult task but its visible from closed eyes too. Every thing has two aspects but we generally try to neglect the darker aspect. But, as a citizen if we are going to ignore the misery of our fellow citizens then who will think about them. Government alone can never be held responsible for everything, we select the government and actually we are the part of the government.

As a true citizen we have to think and have to take measures that the darker facet transforms into glittering and shining facet. I ask all of you to think and come up with ideas that how we can help our fellow citizens, our country and of course our struggling government.

We "the citizens" and India

India is the world's largest democratic country, a country which is the birth place of people rather I should say Great people like Mahatma Gandhi, Ravindra Nath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, these are just few names because the list is endless. A country which is still perceived as a place of God. I read in a book that at 'Harvard Coop' a famous book store, all the books related to India are kept under the section of Religion. People from all over the world visit India to have a look at its culture and its traditions. Festivals like Diawali and Holi amaze millions of people around the world. Thanks to Almighty God that we are born in a country like India.

I talked about democracy,where government is of the people, for the people and by the people. Who these people are? We "the citizens", I quoted citizens because its a matter of great honor that we are the citizens of a country like India. But, do we actually mean what we say, or we are still divided on the basis of caste, creed or income?

Our Government says that all people are equal and the rules and regulation for every body are same, but do we really consider all people as equal. I experienced a very strange but bitter truth about the situation which still prevails in India when I was travelling on a bus of Rajasthan Roadways. Let me do the honor to share the incident with you and then you all people decide whether I am right or wrong.

The bus seats were almost 70% occupied with all types of people that is from villages as well as so called urban areas. A person who was well dressed and was looking quiet decent from his attire was having oranges in the bus and as all other people of our country he too thought the bus as his private property, no doubt he was not wrong as we all think the same after all we all have same rights. He was having good time while eating and spitting the seeds and fibers in aisle. While he was doing that no body had any objection nor do I as I am also "the citizen" of this country. No doubt that person really enjoyed the oranges till the time another person who was from the attire looking from rural background and poor, did not lit his "Bidi" in the bus. I don't think that the second person did anything wrong after all the bus was his private property too. Now this was the time when the first person stood up and raised the voice against the action done by the second person and not only he but several others too. He showed him( the person with "Bidi") the written statement of 'no smoking' and asked him to throw away the bud outside the window.

I was sitting there and was wondering that how a person who himself was spitting in the bus can command other not to smoke in the bus.

The main reason behind that was the social differentiation that is one person who was well dressed and was looking decent was spitting in the bus was not objected but a poor person who was smoking was objected by majority.

We know that both were wrong but why only a person who was not well off was shouted at.

Do you still think that we all are same. I really felt guilty that day that I did not take any action that day and was just the spectator like others.

Can we say that we are responsible enough to care for our country? What do you think you had done if you would have been at my position? A wrong deed is wrong whether done by a gentleman or a poor and uneducated person, then why this differentiation is there?

When we "the citizens" will understand our responsibilities towards our nation?

I am still searching for the answer if you get one do let me know too.