ASHAMED

About the behaviour of our Hon'ble MP recently, I will only say that it makes me feel so ASHAMED that we have this kind of person as our country's LAWMAKER.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Lately there has been a lot in the news about young lady, Ms Gurmehar Kaur, who is championing the cause - Freedom of Speech. It is disturbing as it has been given political twist.

Well, Gurmehar Bete, I am with you as I am sure that as an intelligent girl you do know that this RIGHT comes with great RESPONSIBILITY. I do not think you will tolerate anyone using derogatory language against anyone, more so against our Martyrs, Religious beliefs – Gods / Goddesses/ Sikh Gurus  OR Exhorting people to divide our nation on communal / religious / regional basis  OR  Raising slogans condemning our nation and praising other nations, specially with whom we have perpetual tiff  OR  Asking people to indulge in acts of violence  OR inviting foreign powers to invade and take over our nation. This list of acts is endless when we love, respect and wish to protect our nation.

I will be with you as I am sure you will always take patriotic and logical stand. Take care of yourself.

Hope you do get to read it with someone forwarding it to you or giving you my link.

SAD HAPPENINGS

Before I say anything else, let me say SORRY for being absent from here for such a long time. No excuses. Inspite of wanting to write it was just pure NOT TODAY, TOMORROW which kept me away.

Few things have been weighing on my mind. Let me share a couple of those with you.

First is how come police had not been able to find culprits who extinguished so many lives just due to rash & fast driving, at times even after having had one too many. This has come in my mind as there had been a spate of such accidents lately. I feel that owners of vehicle involved should be put in isolated cell for a couple of days and then told that either they tell who was driving or they will continue to be in same state till they come clean. Of course it goes without saying that POLICE has to be clean first. I just would like to know would they have been so easy going if victim was son / daughter of some police officer.

Second is stalkers attacking their victims on being told to lay off. Why don't we take complaints of stalking seriously? Or why don't we educate our sons to have respect for girls? Isn't it our moral duty to bring up our children to have respectable and SAFE society?

Do think it over.

SOME THOUGHTS

Once again I am defaulter as I have not written for over a month. I will not offer any excuses as it is my fault. A lot of ideas had been churning around in my mind but I just could not put those into words till now.

Let me start with current happenings. Withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes is a very bold step which was surely needed and such actions cannot be announced days in advance  but it seems those who decided about it did not foresee such huge surge of crowds to exchange old notes. May be they did not apply their mind fully to this but partially this crowding also is created by persons who visited banks every day to exchange old notes. If each family had used this opportunity of exchanging old notes only once to have funds for running of house, this problem would not have arisen. This is based on my calculation about Dwarka in Delhi. There are about 1 lac families and 100 branches of banks. Even if you take 70 branches being effective and clear 300 persons per day, then it would have taken only 5 days for each family to have needed funds. I think it may be similar situation at other places too.  Also there are reports of hired labour being sent by some persons to do this exchange job. All said and done, we know that there is no gain without pain. I feel the situation will be normal soon and hit those who are hoarding huge amount in such notes..

There is a row about water of rivers being shared. Government of Panjab does not wish to share river water with Haryana. It is also in news that they are willing to share only on payment by other state. One must know that natural resources are for all people. If Panjab thinks that they own rivers, they ought to know that all rivers which flow through that state originate in another state. How would it be if states where rivers originate ask for payment from Panjab? I feel that this is nothing but stunt for garnering votes in future elections and sense of natural justice or equal sharing of natural resources by countrymen be damned. The similar situation is between few southern states also.

I have seen blatant violation of traffic rule of jumping red light by electic-rickshaws. I am surprised why traffic police turn blind eye to this? These vehicles are registered as power driven vehicle by state transport department and not pedal rickshaws.

Please do share your views on this.

DIWALI GREETINGS

MAY GOD BE ALWAYS KIND TO YOU ALL.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

We all talk about women empowerment. We want women to be well educated, self reliant and work at high posts. Politicians talk about it till one feels that he or she is really keen about it. But how many of us really do want this? If one wants women to be empowered is it not correct to change some of traditions of past? Some societies have rooted out many past traditions which demeaned women, examples are Sati System, treatment meted out to widows or not giving a say for marriage to girl, letting girls study as per their choice.  Some still cling to past. As example I speak of triple talaq.

I had been told that as per religious books triple talaq is permitted in a certain way. There have to be gaps between each word Talaq pronounced. The gaps are meant for chance of reconciliation and can be as long as a day. But presently it is said that a husband can pronounce triple talaq in one sitting or even send it by post or telegram or pronounce on telephone or send sms or pronounce on skype. This has sanction of religious heads. How come it is only males who have been given benefit of advancement? In olden days women mostly were uneducated and were confined to homes carrying on with household tasks. Has that not changed now? Are women not mostly educated and working in high positions including Managing Directors of large organisations or even Head of a nation?   Then how come benefit of advancement not been passed to them? To my mind it seems to be a case of selfish interests of men. If not so , then let them also say talaq as dictated in religious books and not take advantage of advancements.

SOME THOUGHTS

There was a time when old persons could sit down and read newspaper at leisure. Now for old persons like me it is an acrobatic exercise. I do not know what has come over publishers of newspapers. I do not think they need any efforts to compete like fashion designers. Even one of famous columnists who's first name I remember is Bachi has written about it and she is surely much younger than me. Let me explain why I say this. I sit down comfortably on easy chair with a cup of tea within reach and pick up newspaper to see what is happening in the world. I unfold it and find many a times that first sheet is half with news printed. I somehow manage to turn it over to see what the next page which is luckily full says. When I continue it is suddenly that I find half page page again inbetween.  Now while I turn it over I lose grip on one side of paper making it fly all over with pages opening randomly. Or there is a folded sheet which opens from left and on unfolding it same process of paper going on it's own will happens. Why can not the publishers stick to newspapers as those were a few years ago without such half or folded pages? They should rather concentrate on reliability of and good coverage of news rather than indulging is these gimmicks.

An Army General gave information about surgical strike in the presence of Prime Minister, why should there be doubts? Or should some persons start talking that these happened earlier also making  us look as habitual at this in the International Forum? What is more important for us - National Pride or Advertising Political Party one belongs to?