Bihari – the write thing - 6 (लोग–तंत्र, – झुलो और झुलाओ)

बचपन में सरकारी स्कुल के हम पढाकु कुछ युँ भी खेला करते थे । दो लङके दो तरफ खङे हो जाते और बीच मे एक तीसरे कम वजन के लङके को हाथ-पैर पकङ कर झुलाते रहते । फिर झुलाते समय ये पंक्तियाँ भी गाते रहते ,

तोहरे मइयों ना झुलेलको ,
तोहरे बापो ना झुलेलको,
तोहरे हमहीं झुलैछी रे ।।

हमारे बिहार की हालत भी कुछ ऐसी ही हो गयी है । जाहिर है कि मेरा कविमन एक लाइन और जोङना चाहता है ।

बिहारी तोहरे किस्मत फेरो झुलेलको रे ।

चुनाव से नजदीकी रुप से जुङे रहने एवं पद की गरिमा बनाए रखने के लिए मैं ज्यादा बोलना नहीं चाहता । लेकिन गजब होता है जब जितने वाले उम्मीदवार के बटन को 30 प्रतिशत वोटर भी नहीं टिपना चाहते । कोई बात नहीं, बहुमतेव-जयते , आशानुरुप परिणाम भी आ गए । देवाशीष जी, लगता है, एग्जिट पोल की कंपनी खोलना नुकसानदेह नहीं है । बिहार में बहुराष्ट्रीय कंपनियों के लिए माहौल बन रहा है , सुस्वागतम् का नवोदय विद्यालय वाला गीत याद आने पर गाऊँगा । लेकिन एक प्रोबलम है । लालटेन धीमा हो गया है, कमल खिला मगर पुरा नहीं , तीर अंधेरे मे लगा नहीं, हाथ की कलाई कमजोर हो गयी। स्वतंत्र उम्मीदवारों के लिए आशा का किरण नहीं, चकाचक हैलोजेन लैंप जल रहा है ।

विकट परिस्थिति में, मिसाइल मैन अगर यहाँ लाँच – पैड स्थापित करे तो विकास-पक्षेपास्त्र का एक और श्रेय उनको मिलेगा, मगर यह लज्जाजनक स्थिति होगी । तन ढकने को कपङा नहीं है , नहीं तो घुँघट काढने में ही भलाई है हमारी।

कुछ भी हो हवा का रुख बदल रहा है। मगर ठीक से पता नहीं चल रहा है ये पुरिया है कि पछिया । पवन दिशामापी चक्कर काट रहा है । मेरा माथा भी इसी यंत्र में फँसा हुआ है । फँसे रहने का शौक नहीं है मुझे , असल में समझ में नहीं आता है कि नये स्टाइल का बहुदलीय लोकतंत्र किस कोण से बहुजन हितार्थ है । भारत या उसका बच्चा बिहार और उसका लोग-तंत्र क्या ऐसे ही खादी के पालने में झुलता रहेगा। क्रांतिकारी गंभीर चिंतन-मनन कर ही रहा था कि बेचारा नौकर बगल में आकर खङा हो गया, हाथ में खाली गैलन लेकर । मिट्टी के तेल लाना था , सो मैनें 45 रूपये दे दिए , सिर्फ 1 लीटर लाने के लिए ।

Sometime Heads - sometime Tails

Time have the tendency to change the direction of wind. Like the direction of changing wind the one person’s need of other also changes. I have seen several instance in my life when the needy and donor interchanged the role. But it’s against my principal to take revenge in such case someone hurts/ignores me. But nature has his own rule above any one's principals. I am giving a fresh instance of it.

Coin tossed >> Head
In a bank or any office, I am against the backdoor works, when people will go to the backdoor and get the work done earlier than the persons standing in queue. Although the office, I belong have an upper hand to get the work done earlier even at the backdoor. Once for some draft making I was in a queue may be at 9 or 10^th position. The person sitting on the counter was working with the cheques and other papers coming from the backdoor. It became more than half an hour to push 3 positions in the queue. Like every body else I too was getting late, so I told him who was looking the age of my father or less “Uncleji jara jaldi kijeye na”(Uncle, please fasten the work). “Hum aapke uncle kab se ho gaye – Line mein lage rahiye” (Since when I became your uncle? Stand in line only.), came the prompt reply. The persons standing in front of me as well as back since half an hour like victims of queue standers, did not have courage to tell him anything to stop the back door works, but they got a good chance to smile at me. I kept silent. Actually in that bank I have many persons close to me and also from my colony, to them I call bhaiya (elder brother) or uncle. In that pattern only I did mistake of calling him uncle. It was a shameful moment for me again for my easy tendency of being informal.

Coin tossed >> Tail
Yesterday, I was announcing the names of counting duty personals, where distribution of honorarium and appointment letter were handed over. The peoples were mostly bank staffs. I was announcing the name of the person one by one and they were taking their honorarium. Some were coming in mid way telling their urgency “Sir, mujhe jaldi jana hai, mujhe *** kaam hai” (Sir I have hurry , I have to do *** works). To very few people’s requests, I complied. As an effect afterwards this kind of frequency increased and it’s became impractical to comply with more such requests. But people were coming and taking their honorarium according to names being announced mostly. Suddenly a person came to my table and started searching his appointment letter from the bunch kept there ‘without his name being announced’. He found out space in between the three persons already near to table. Names were being called serially without any bias. Now the person’s manner crossed all limits. Seeing the letters arrangement was being disturbed, I looked at the person. He was the same person from that bank (who was not my uncle). I was sure that he must not remember me because that day he was sitting down inside the cabin and I was far back in the line. The words of hurting or inspiration is remembered much longer time if it touches one’s heart line so the face of the person. Honorarium was a paltry sum of money being given. But he seemed most hurried and also started searching for other’s appointment letters along with his own. I could have scolded him for his manner or could have made fun of him to give him a lesson back. But I thought I was there to serve the all others people sitting there too. In that busy hour, when others were awaiting anxiously for their name to be announced, I restrained from any such adverse mood and let him finish his aim and told my co-workers to give him money. After getting the things he left the table and I continued announcing the names.

I was feeling pity on him.

Do you take your mother for granted?

Of course you do, like everyone every one else. When you are sick or need something, you turn instinctively to your mother. But as soon as things are all right, you find her fussy and irritating. This is a very natural, but you need to remember that your mother is the best thing in your life. She is the one who loves you unconditionally and will always want to best for you, no matter how you behave. In fact, ironically, she is only one you can actually take granted. She expects nothing in return from you, but it would be nice if sometimes you showed her how much you appreciated her.

Compiled from TeleKids( Date : 20 January, 2005)

Refreshing Mints for You

This is a forwarded mail in my mail box today , it have reached you too .

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a

pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity.

-Albert Einstein

The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the

morning and does not stop until you get into the office.

- Robert Frost

The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.

- Franklin P. Jones

We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?

-Jean Cocturan

It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose.

- Darrin Weinberg

Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."

Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is

in trouble again.

Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers.

It is not exactly cheating, I prefer to consider it creative problem solving.

Whoever said money can't buy happiness, didn't know where to shop.

Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but then again, neither does milk.

Most people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them.

Forgive your enemies but remember their names.

The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of

your action.

Don’t worry that the world ends today, its already tomorrow in Australia.

U learn in life when u lose.

GOD BLESS

Laveena

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मै हूँ ।

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

तेज हवाओं के थपेङो से
चोटिल हास्यालंकृत होकर,
धरती माँ के हरे आँचल पर
गिरकर शांत हो जाता हूँ ।

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

श्यामल घटाओं के संघर्ष में
उलझे पतंगो के डोरों बीच,
टुट जाता है अंतिम तंतु जब
छोटी पतंग के सहारे उङता हूँ ।

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

सुनामी की प्रचंड लहरों से
बालुका राशि से पदच्युत,
समंदर के असीम छाती पर
तिनके के सहारे बहता हूँ

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

दशहरे के भीङ-भरे मेले में
शोर-संगीत, पुजा-अर्चना के बीच,
जब अनमोल बंधन जब टुट जाता है
फिर विश्वत बंधन में बंध जाता हूँ

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

उन्हीं राहों के अनजान पथिक
जो साथ हँसते, गाते और रोते थे,
उनको खोने का दुःख तो होता है
फिर प्रेमवश सपनों मे मिल आता हूँ ।

बस ऐसा ही कुछ मैं हूँ ।

Useless Tears for Mahatma !

This post deals with M. K. Gandhi. And the excerpt is from his autobiography (Page 81) under chapter name ‘Raichandbhai’. The paragraph deals about his mother’s death and his reaction on the news.

“I was pinning to see my mother. I did not know that she was no more in the flesh to receive me back into her bosom. The sad news was now given me, and I underwent usual ablution. My brother had kept me ignorant of his death, which took place whilst I was still in England. He wanted to spare me the blow in a foreign land. The news, however, was none the severe shock to me. But I must not dwell upon it. My grief was even greater than over my father’s death. Most of my cherished hopes were shattered. But I remember that I did not give myself up to any wild expression of grief. I could even check the tears, and took to life just as though nothing had happened. "

Autobiographies are the honest writings and presuming Mr. Gandhi also did so. It should not be questioned. But I want to know that did anyone wept and shed tears on the news of his death? If yes, did they shed useless tears?

My peaceful blog world

This is my virtual world of blog. To me it seems as if I am sleeping on the bed of pages and taking one strip from here and there for writing and sleeping on it again. Now why I call it peaceful is because of not having annoying traffic in my blog. Earlier seeing the others blog with many comments and high traffic, I used to think that people will come to my blog and post here comment. Fortunately at the right time, as I was suggested, I did not care about the comments. Now I feel the value of having scarce comments here. I just keep speaking; bring out my thoughts as per my mood and convenience. No one disturbs me here. Why I am telling about disturbance is the reason that when I see the other popular blogs, if the blog administrator will sing, it will be a chorus, write that will be read, everything is good, very good. But the situation becomes difficult for him when he wants to sneeze, people will shout just before disturbing the sneeze. If he weeps people will carry several handkerchiefs to wipe out the tears and they will not allow even to completer the weeping. The ventilation becomes difficult. There are times when we like to tell our state of mind just for patience hearing only and at other times will like to get it shared. But sometimes I too feel the need of interactions on the topics of discussion.

Every addict blogger likes to write for different individual reason. I too write; such that my memories and thoughts will be collected in an organized way and along with I can vent out my feelings too. But I ask a question here should one vent out his/her feelings, which may show his/her weakness? My own answer will be yes. First reason is once you write it may or may not it be heard (read) by others but there is a psychological satisfaction of saying. After you type or say something there is feeling of relaxation, something like, okey, I have told that. There may be different opinions, but to me it is also one of the several reasons of blogging. Misuse of this openness by others can’t be justified, I feel so. And we must understand and remember this fact in future too. Although sharing or helping in pains or happiness is equally important. Now one more question arises here, who will share or help. ‘Any one’ is the reply. Let we are traveling in a train, don’t we like to share the jokes or problems at the instant although we know that the destinations may be different. Exceptions are the travelers who will keep silent throughout the journey and in night keep their shoes on the fan!

Before I was known to blogging in October, I was almost helpless to express. The town I live here, there are very few friends in my close circle and everyone including me is busy. My other friends are not near to me but they are online mostly. After blogging begun I started published my writings. Set me free to write freely, I will be writing, and writing for my satisfaction. The topic may include that some of my pigeons died from cold , Java 1.5 have a serious fault, what features of a raga make it time specific, what is Alzheimer’s disease. Of course I will write on these topics too.

Every time I publish a post, I take a deep breath of relaxation or relief. As the day passes and I read my own early posts I see a lot of improvements in them. But only due to this reason I wouldn’t delete my previous posts of my early days. The beauty of development lies from those posts only. At the same time I think whether this post will be look immature after 10 years. I have planned to blog till my last day after that someone will again continue my blog surely. I do try to maintain honesty and transparency in my posts which will be read by my army of great grand sons and daughters too.

I was talking about the peacefulness in blogging. For that I think that if I have high unsolicited traffic today, it will be almost impossible to manage those after 10 or 20 years. For that reason too I am happy with my present. I may have few readers only as per my guess ( I don’t know actually), but I am happy with few readers only. My statistics shows that there are few regulars, but none disturbs me here. In contrast, some bloggers gets disturbed by me few times, although I never have any intension to do that.

I am happy and want to thank everyone who makes my blogging successful starting from my smart fingers who are excited for typing this line and the display device making company’s employee, who made the screen, where my post is being read.

Am I responsible?

The thing goes back to my childhood. Once at home I broke up the glass vase during playing. It was going to 4pm in clock. Maa was about to come from school. I was on the bed immersed in the book. But my eyes were not on really on it. My whole body was shaking in fear. Ma used to have equal quantity of love and pain for us. It was sure that Pinky or Deep will tell Ma about the vase. And I will get my share of punishment.

But no one told about the incident to Ma. I took didi in confidence that she will not tell her about the vase. I became the best discipline boy that evening. The news of breaking got leaked out after few days and by that time Ma’s mood was fine and she did not scold me much.

Although Ma was strict in the rules of schools and family (She is friend today, because we grew up :-) ) . But in those days anyone among we brothers and sisters commit mistakes we felt a group responsibility for that and let her manage the home. Till today in my social life there is some feeling of responsibility in me when there some vase or anything like this break. I feel guilt for such lose of property and feelings around me. Is my method is underestimating the self respect or correct?

Earthquakes and Me

At a distance to my office there is Border Security Force Station. Often the militaries will do practice shooting in their range. Along with this the golden quadrilateral’s road construction work is going on near by only. Many a time my chamber’s glass panels will react violently towards the shooting sound and construction vibrations.
More over I am living at a town which is in seismic zone –IV like most of the north Bihar districts. Each moment there is possibility that a earthquake more powerful than Bhuj. Personally I have felt 3 earthquakes after growing up. First time I felt was in my Navodaya days, when I used to live in Maranga campus north hostels. At that time the thundering of hostel roof which was made up of asbestos and swinging single storey beds broke up our deep morning sleep. We ran out the hostel before we could understand that something like earthquake was that. The unprepared guys in funky dresses came out. No one slept afterwards on the night we the helpless boys just kept our Jha sir surrounded till morning. And from next night we were half asleep till the fear went off after some days. My second experience of earthquakes was at my home when again in early dark morning hours when we were in deep sleep, the showcase glass panels started making peculiar shaking sound and shaking bed. We are Japanese kinda person here ready for such events anytime. The main gate key is kept at quiet secured but handy place, So within seconds we were out of the house. In our side there is religious but quite scientific custom that if people feel the earthquake and the vibrations recedes, people will blow counch (Shankh), to make aware that earth quake is felt and be aware from now. Scientifically proved fact is that there may come more vibrations in succession. Third one was felt during my Siliguri stay at afternoon hours when I was working on my friend’s computer and suddenly I heard the asbestos vibrations and shaking of everything, it lasted few seconds only. Sure I ran out of the house within seconds after leaving the computer’s program running inside.

But after feeling those vibrations, I am comfortable with the vibrations I feel in my chamber. But I am worried for that day when real earthquake will come and if I shall take granted the vibrations as regular vibrations! If that happens really according to forecast and this sub Himalayan zone shakes violently, the north Bihar districts will be affected mostly. After reading this post, please don’t think that we are leaving at a dreaded zone of natural disaster. Let me give an example of Tsunami victims who did not left the coastal towns even after the disaster and Japanese who learnt to leave with earth quakes since ages. Otherwise disasters can come anywhere either at beautiful Phuket beach or at top of World Trade Center (It was not natural disaster but a disaster by human’s ‘nature’).Like millions worldwide, we have learnt to live under the nature’s powerful canopy. We are ready to accept nature’s nature. Moreover the UNDP is running disaster awareness and management program in the region along with the local government.

बरगद का एक पेङ

एक पक्की सङक के किनारे काफी सारे पेङ हैं । हरेक पेङ का अपना एक विशिष्ट महत्व भी है । लेकिन मुझे बरगद हमेशा से प्यारा लगता है । धार्मिक कारणों से ही नहीं, प्रकृति की रचना और विधाता की कल्पनाशीलता के कारण भी। बहुत बङा होता है न, इसलिए सबको बैठने का आश्रय देता है । इसका न तो लकङी, न ही फल मनुष्य के किसी काम का होता है । हाँ, पक्षियाँ इसके फलों को बङी चाव से खातीं है । काफी घना होने के कारण फिर घोंसला भी बनाती है । इसकी जटाओं से बच्चे झुला बनाकर झुलते हैं । हमारे धार्मिक रिवाजों के अनुसार लोग इसकी पूजा भी करतें हैं । दिर्घायु होता है यह पेङ । सैकङों पथिक आते, इसके छाया में विश्राम करते, फिर चले जाते है । समय के साथ-साथ, धीरे-घीरे इसका तना कमजोर होने लगता है । फिर एक दिन यह तना खोखला भी हो जाता है । लेकिन इन दिनों में खेलने वाली ये जटाएँ, आधार पर पहुँचकर शक्तिशाली होने लगती हैं । जङों जैसी दिखने वाली ये लताएँ तना बन जाती हैं । बरगद के इस साम्राज्य का इतना बङा दायित्व, उसके आशाएँ - इन नव स्थापित स्तंभों पर जरुर कष्टदायक होता होगा । यूँ तो उसी बरगद के प्रसारित बीज पौघा बनकर दीवारों के दरारों में भी जगह बना लेता है । लेकिन या तो उसे काटकर हटा दिया जाता है या उसकी जङे उसी पर फिर से एक नया साम्राज्य बनाने लगती हैं । चाहे पेङ नये हो या पुराने, पेङों के लटकती लताएँ या उसकी जङें काफी सख्त होतीं है । पेङ की विशालता और उसका अस्तित्व उसके इसी गुण के कारण है । अगर पुनर्जन्म की अवधारणा सही है तो विधाता से मेरी कामना है, मुझे ऐसा ही एक पेङ बना देना , क्योंकि इस जन्म में यह सिर्फ एक प्रेरणाश्रोत ही बन सका ।

कुछ मीठी गोलियाँ होमियोपैथी की

मै कविता लिखता हूँ, जुगनू की चाह,
रोकर गाता हूँ , कंप्युटर पर वाह वाह,
बुलाकर सुनाता हूँ, जब तुम भागते हो,
यही अच्छा लगता है, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

लिखी एक बार बङी दुःख की कहानी,
याद नहीं की, थी वह बिलकुल जुबानी,
माँ कहती, दुखती दुनिया को दुखाते हो,
हँसना पङेगा अब मुझे, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

उन कवियों की तरह अंतरात्मा से,
मिट्टी बालु के किसी परमात्मा से,
धत् तेरे की, थोङे ही बात करता हूँ,
सब भ्रम है मेरे भाई , हा..हा..हो..हो..।

तुकबन्दी की कोशिश में, बेतुका गाता हूँ,
राग परिचय पढे बिना काम चलाता हूँ,
दिन दोपहर दफ्तर में भैरव सुनाता हूँ,
व्यस्त जीवन का सही राग, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

कौन भुसगोल है, कौन निरा मुर्ख,
किसकी छोटी आखें, किसकी है सुर्ख,
शहर के अंदेशे से दुबलाते क्यों हो,
संतुष्टि से जी लो, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

बङे दुःख के दबङे मे हो तुम दबे,
निराशा ने तेरे सारे द्वार बंद करे,
आ मुझसे मिल, सुनेगा मेरे दुखों को,
वजन हल्का लगेगा तुझे,हा..हा..हो..हो..।

बङी मुश्किल से मैं कविता बनाता हूँ,
थोङा लिखकर फिर ज्यादा मिटाता हूँ,
अरे, अभी तक होंठ चिपकाए बैठे हो,
गुदगुदी प्रुफ हो क्या, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

किसी गंभीर चिंता फिक्र में रमे हो तुम,
दाल रोटी जुगार में अगर हँसी हुई गुम,
हाथ दोनों उठा, अंगुलियाँ गालों पर रखो,
पीछे खींचों,अब सही हुआ, हा..हा..हो..हो..।

আমার প্রথম লেখা - My first writing

আমি তো তোমার সমান এক়জন মানূশ,

তোমার মতোই আমার মনে সেই আশা,

আর ভালোবাসার প্রত্যাশা কি ণেই,

হাঁ আমি জানি, আশাই দুঃখের কারন,

দুঃখের ভয় সত্যৈও আশা ছারতে এখণ পারিনি

About my Bengali writing: Been born and brought up in Bihar and educated in Hindi schools, I feel comfortable in Hindi to write. At home, our conversation medium is Bengali. But mine is with “Bihari” accent, Bengalis from W.B. tell so. Even though, I will try to express in Bengali, towards improvement. I am writing Bengali after 20 years that too using keyboard! My Bengali knowing readers please grasp the essence only.

Having problem viewing text! You may need to:

1. Download Bengali fonts from this site and download ALL_BANGLA_FONTS.zip , it’s risk free.

2. Install VRINDA font.

3. Enable browser for Unicode compatibility

Bon Voyage.

Kyoto Protocol – got effective?

Read this post in continuation to my earlier post “Sell me your sweater” . After all the protocol and treaty got effective from 16th Feb. 2005 10.30 IST. A total of 141 countries have signed EXCLUDING USA and Australia. Their argument is that the protocol will put unnecessary economic burden on them. The protocol, which is meant to lower down the global warming and the emission level to 5.2 % by 2012. Now when Russia ratified the treaty, the pull back step of prime polluter USA as well as Australia can’t be justified in global perspective. Although the environmentalists’ movement will start to make them sign too, India should also give diplomatic pressure on USA for signing the treaty. The world Guru seems to hide own dirty face along with a brother. And unless they too sign the treaty, the feasibility seems to be only partially fulfilled.

लौटा दे मेरे दिन

जय राम जी की । जय राम जी की ।
सब मंगल तो है ना। हाँ, उनकी कृपा है।

कैसी हो बहना । अच्छी हूँ भैया ।
कब आई घर से । कल ही आई हूँ ।

ओए... जोनी । अरे….यार... दीपक ।
किधर गया था बे। अबे वहीं गया था।

हाय...... स्वीटी। हैल्लो......मनीष ।
हाउ आर यू । कूल....... यार ।

अपने हुए पराए । बेगाने कितने न्यारे ।
बातें मतलबी हुई । खोई हँसी स्माइली में ।

कयॉ खो गया । ढूँढता पागलों सा मैं।
कम से कम तू ही, लौटा दे मेरे दिन ।

Saraswati Puja – Then and Now

सरस्वती नमस्तुभ्यं
वरदे कामरुपिणीं ।
विद्यारांभ्य करिष्यामि
सिद्धिरभवतु मे सदा ।।

(Salutations to you, Goddess saraswati,
Who fulfils all our desires;
I am commencing my pursuit of knowledge,
Let me always be successful in this endeavour)

Saraswati Puja will finish today evening as per our vedic customs. Everything went nicely as usual.

In childhood to me this puja used to be the waiting day for eating ber (a plum) apart from puja celebrations. For small girls it’s the day of moving around puja pandals wearing saaris or new dresses. I can’t write more about them but I can represent the guys better. From childhood we have been made understand that one should not eat ber (a plum) until Saraswati puja finishes. I am lucky to read in govt. schools, where I got enough chance for pranks. So before puja, when we used to see the plum trees beside the road, we waited them grow from flowers to small berries to plums and wait for the saraswati puja day. If some guy among us eats the forbidden fruit; we used to tell him their knowledge will be lost because he eat it before puja. Now I look into the matter; this forbidding reason was correct, taking unripe sour fruits are prime cause of cold and cough during the cold season. Once puja is finished we used to throw pebbles on ber trees to get the bers. After saraswati puja, the matter of ripening of fruits was not important. After the pebbles are thrown, there are chances that many a time the ripe, yellow, big bers will fall near to nalla (drain) or inside the boundary walls of the tree owner. The difficult situation really! Either you have to take some bold step there or pity on yourself. Even when I was in Navodaya, I used to roam around Maranga fields for the well known ber trees after puja and bring back pocketful of bers. Inside hostel, I was in good demand among guys until my pocket is empty. But in my hostel our demand for celebrating saraswati puja in form of idol was denied. Now I think this was a good decision by our principal that time. Later on in new building location, when idol worship was allowed in my school, not lucky enough, one of my junior faced an accident. I know not much about it but feel that the worship must not be made a gala event with fanfare in school campuses.

Now the same bers when brought in good quantity in my home, hardly I have that urge to take them. The day apart from home worshipping with small idol, I will read more on the day. I have personal collection of few saraswati bhajans and mantras to chant on evening. But I miss this one, if you know, please tell me, I am writing the partly known lines from my memory may be with mistakes:

श्वेत वसन तन देवी तव सेवि पद
होयछि सुफल मन ----------------
स्फटिका के माला पोथी वीणा ----कर धारी
होयछि सुफल मन ----------------

I will try to write others known bhajans, mantras in my later posts. Maa saraswati, the consort of Brahma is the goddess of learning, music and art and craft. But unfortunately you will find quiet less number of popular bhajans and songs in the market devoted to her. When I was searching for the songs related to her prayer in Music World, Bangalore I got only one of such kind. It’s “Saraswati Upasana by Veena Sahasrabuddhe” released by Sony Music vol I . I have no idea about other volumes but it’s a good album worth collecting especially if you have interest in classical music as well as devotional songs; it works as a tranquilizer.

कभी किसी ने देखा है ?

कभी किसी ने देखा है ?

उन चट्टानों के टीलों में
अप्रत्याशित ढलानों के बीच,
ढलता है रक्तिम सुरज जब
फिर वहाँ निझॅर बहते हैं।

कभी किसी ने देखा है ?

उस निझॅर के प्रवाह में
कभी विनम्र होती जो बुंदें,
इक झुरमुट के तलहटी में
जाकर अटकती रहती है।

कभी किसी ने देखा है ?

अटकती बुंदो के संगम में
जलमय राशि के ठीक मध्य,
शनैः शनैः एक अद्भुत जलज
फिर विराजमान होता है।

कभी किसी ने देखा है ?

Women Executives and glass ceiling

1. “As a woman, you just aren’t listened to – or trusted – as much as a man would be” quoted Christine Comaford Lynch, a venture capitalist who was a CEO too.
2. Carlyn Fiorina, the chairman and Chief Executive of Hewlett Packard Co. was fired yesterday.

Some years ago, I had read a survey in a magazine, which showed the choice of employees for as their boss. And the outcome was that most of the employees want their boss as a man. Surprisingly the majority of woman respondent too want man as boss rather than woman. Something like glass ceiling is also quoted for the positions held by woman managers on the top.

Here Lynch seems to be dissatisfied with the social/corporate structure, which is male dominated and her efforts for the better business structure might have seen a lot of setbacks.

On the other instance Fiorina’s ability as a businesswoman has been exemplary. She is a school dropout, worked as receptionist, teacher and a saleswoman. Due to her marketing ability she rose to the position of the powerful businesswoman of US. She joined HP in 1999 and later on masterminded merger of HP and Compaq. But her decision was widely criticized including the founders of HP. It has been said that the merger have showed detrimental effect in the brand value of HP along with it’s printer business. The merger to the other top executive might have been seen as foresighted business strategy or her failure to uplift the HP brand value.

Although we can’t generalize the statement but women are found to be good managers at the root level, i.e. family level most of the time. Be it the human resource management or financial management. The logic is not to collect sympathy for them but to find out the natural/unnatural tendencies which prevent them to the top. I would like to quote one thing more here. Indira Gandhi, the former PM of India was said as she was the only man in her cabinet. Although, she was also visualized as a dictator during the period of emergency. This kind of remarks or attitude towards women top most executive does suggest that the day is far away towards gender equality when it comes to administration or executive matter.

Why Indira Gandhi was called that she was the only man in her cabinet? Does that mean that only man has the right to rule the world and the executive ability is attached to a masculine personality?

At the basic form of group or organization, the family when formed let’s see what are the outcomes. The woman’s thought maturity is improved if compared to the male counterpart of the same age. The woman when gets married she seeks a man with higher/equal level of thought/position/standard than her. And as a cause/effect the man seeks the lower/equal level of thought/status/standard than him. Leave the issue of exceptional love among them but this is the trend followed around the world.

Now look at the job profiles which are mostly gender specific. The secretaries are mostly women; the nurses/air hostess can’t not replaced by male counter part. In crude politics they take part in less number (Mrs. Clinton’s future seems an exception). In country like India the woman reservation bill never got passed, I don’t think it need be passed and reservation due to mercy will be again harmful and there is possibility that the less qualified woman politicians will jump into passive politics after anchoring some male counterpart. The advocacy of giving them a chance is again the same thing. Of course leg pulling must not be done.

To each individual there are different levels of administrative abilities. Simply judging them on the basis of sex will be unjust. The are example of Shobhana Bhartiya, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, Parmeshwar Godrej and many more in India and across globe as good managers. There are chances as well as opportunities that the women will raise to the great height with her capacities. But on reaching the top most height her each breath seems to be under scrutiny without any productivity but to make her tense as well as the business. The share prices jumped instantly after firing off Fiorina. But the stereotyped society (which comprises male and female both) will take long time to accept the glass ceiling and to solve the imbroglio over the top which is a result of all the stuff sucked at root level.

Glimpses from Pitu’s marriage

• After all Pitu got married to a software engineer .(Read the previous post)
• When I reached there my friends and teachers failed to recognize me at all because of my sparse hairline and changed physique. To Vineet, I needed introduction, he is my Navodaya’s close friend.
• A naughty kid asked me about the price of a coffee cup at the coffee stall kept at the reception. When I told him as a joke, the cost of each cup is 25 paisa he started running to his mom for bringing 25 paisa. But when I told it will be given free of cost once all baratis have taken it, he sat calm on the chair to wait.
• Kanyadan was done by the most respected lady of the house, the grandma of Pitu, She repeated each and every mantra correctly despite cold, her age and monotonous sitting.
• There is ritual better to say a play when the bride and her sister sit near to each other with fully covered head and groom have to find out the real bride out of them. There groom failed to do so and choose out Miki, Pitu’s own sister. And the anger of Miki and laugh of relatives was worth seeing.
• Vineet changed his dinner table carrying his thali-glass because there some girl sat near to his thali. He is a corporate working guy.
• Macher mura (The full head of Fish) is not only given in Bengali community to the guests but it was also given to VVIPs in baratis there.
• The coffee machine, which the coffee vendor was using had live current of 220 volts every where on the machine surface because of accidental short circuit in the machine but he successfully kept making coffee cups without unveiling the fact :-) .
• Baratis carried double barrel guns proudly, which is common in their community.
• Want more picturesque view, wait till colour images arrives me.

The teachers outside classes

On 6th February evening, I met two of my teachers after nearly 11 years, at the marriage ceremony of my friend Prashant’s sister, who used to be his student. Both teachers were never our subject teachers in the schools. They are my respected Batulda and Sinha sir. Both of them are living their simple life and both of them are quite young at heart. Whatever they do ultimately, are meant for the betterment of the students.

Batulda is the most respected guide of the students preparing for competitive exams in Purnea. The reason, why students call him Batulda, rather than Batul sir, may be credited to his personality. His fatherly guidance, brotherly understanding and friendly talk nullify any unnecessary distance between a teacher and a student.

In the glare of lights and vibrant music, I found in him the same gentle human with high spirits as I had seen him 11 years ago. After very short introduction, he was happy to find his old boys around him. Earlier I had met him only a couple of times for our problems. Our chain of talks ranged from one of his students working as JTO in my town to students abroad and his website and so on. During the prolonged talk, I was being charged by some kind of touch therapy. My fingers of right hand were being caressed between his palms. I was feeling pretty good, as if some magic tricks of life were being passed to me through my fingers. I was healed.

Sitting on the vacant chairs, we and Vineet, my JNVP batch mate, were discussing about the workplace time constraint and stress. Batulda actively discussed the issue and suggested to read few books on the topic. One of them was “The monk who sold his Ferrari” and told about the lucid way the chapters were written.

As our medium of communication had been Bengali always, the envy of Prashant was sure. He objected about it and we laughed a lot. By the time baratis were to arrive and I was given the responsibility of taking care of their reception. Batulda being with me or better to say, I along with Batulda was taking care of the arrangements. Batulda himself counted the number of chairs himself to check whether there might be any shortage of chairs for the guests. Yes, he found that few more chairs were required. On seeing the shortage, as I started off to the upper floor to bring down chairs, where those were stored. He stopped me and suggested that there were more students around and they could do it too. Actually I could not recognize the new students around him. Once he told so many legs marched upstairs. A management ability of Batulda to use the human resources in right direction!

Once the baratis reception was done and I presented the rose buds to all the baratis along with the groom (Of course, I received a lot of thanks from them).Then I decorated rest buds on the home member’s coat. Batulda was standing away from the crowd. I saw him and I took one rose bud stick for his black coat. He received it. And when I requested him to place it in the space of collar for the purpose, he smiled back, saying that it was okay. Instead he wanted to put it on the sweater of another senior student standing beside him. Of course he never felt any requirement of personal decorations.

Like a responsible guardian, behind the spectacles, expert eyes were watching every arrangement. Dinners were going on, I found out time to offer him espresso when he accepted my request for it saying ‘Olpo’( A little). It was past midnight. Leaving us mesmerized with his greatness, he went home to sleep because might the next morning some young batches were to come at Batulda’s Siksha Sadan amidst green trees of Purnea.

Batulda, a man dissolved among us, and evolved to a height, which his beloved ones can feel easily.

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

सहस्र नामों के शब्दकोष से,

इतनी चिंतन-मनन के पश्चात्,

स्वंय को आश्वस्त करने हेतु ही सही

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

तुम्हारी आशा, किस प्रत्याशा में,

तुम्हारा निस्वार्थ, किस स्वार्थ में,

वर्णमाला से ढाई मोती चुनकर ही

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

मानव सुलभ द्वैष का अधिकार,

पौरुष प्रतीक क्रोधी स्वभाव छिनकर,

अंतराग्नि को अश्रुघारा से शमन हेतु

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

क्या उनके निर्मल प्रेम का प्रतीक,

या तुम्हारे प्रेम की आवश्यकता,

क्या जरुरत आन पङी थी तुझे

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

अविश्वास के अदृश्य जटिल तंतुजाल,

में विस्तारित विचित्र दावानल के मघ्य,

असह्य तपित जीवन मे, दहन से पुर्व

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

क्या स्वप्न देख रखे थे तुमनें,

क्या संकीर्ण स्वार्थ की घाटी से उपर,

किसी अप्राप्त उद्देश्य की कामिनी

कहो, क्यों रखा मेरा ये नाम ।

Busy Days

So the last two days were quiet hectic. Election preparation deadlines, Pitu's marriage, Rakesh Sir, Batul Da, Madhubani paintings, Novels so much to write. Just before I write let me take rest today, and will sleep early. From tomorrow I have to start the mornings with Vairav again.

Pitu’s Marriage

As Pitu is Prashant’s sister, she is JNVP 1^st batch’s sister too. Tomorrow is her marriage at Purnea. How jhola wale patrakar bhaiya :-) (she used to call me) can miss her marriage? During Holy celebrations, the batchmates used to gather at Prashant’s house. The delicacies prepared by aunt, Yum Yum…… and quarrel with Pitu in the mean time (when aunt is not present there) are still fresh in memory. Still last year I have found her same talking machine and criticizer of us, the CS bhaiyas. She still gives good reasons for her profession as sun baked civil engineer than comfortable programmers who sit in ACs. During discussions, by hooks and crooks (I know Pitu is not reading this :-) ), she will win her point of discussion. Any way it’s nice to see her winning. If she loses then we are not certain of her mood :-D.

Whether the smiling, honest, quarrelling girl will change after marriage, I wonder. To me some persons if not change its better.But what a vacuum we will feel once she leaves the house is beyond my descriptive ability.

We wish her share of all the joys we all brothers have.

Defining one’s identity

There are many ways we can know about a person. First and best way is to meet the person, know his/her address and interact with him/her. And this interaction is not necessary for an experienced person; the gestures of the other new person itself tell many things.

But I am not sure of the conditions when this method fails. There are cases, when a person fails to know his/her own blood, when the child grows up and gets changed completely or the relatives/friends turn out foes. To me it’s the faith on the identity which needs to be maintained otherwise identity becomes polymorphic and vice versa.

Without seeing the person in real life one can judge about the person to an extent with the writings and expressions of the person. The writings and expressions are the reflections of her/his personality. Anyone’s handwriting is also the identity of the person but this method is uncommon and requires a lot of experience. I am fortunate to find this capability in me to an extent. Hearing a person’s speeches and songs also give some identity of the person. Contemporary paintings, sculpture, poems, novels and many other forms of expression also tell about the thinking and mentality of the creator and the world around him/her. Of course the visual media is another way to know about the person like cinema or television but this gets limited to identity of actors and performers.

If you ask me, who I am? To me, it’s quiet difficult defining myself and give you my complete identity. And I fail to explain it to my or your satisfaction.

In this net culture the identity of a person needs redefining. Digital bits flow with expressions, knowledge and also confusions. Even if I am entangled in this web; I try to make a negligible identity here too. I see my tiny Turing Machine lost here although it’s not halted.

This negligible identity when again questioned puts me in a strange situation. I have been thinking that my words, drawings will be my identity, but that was my mistake. How I can expect everyone to see through my eyes? To my present capacity, my identity is my blog content and my photograph at my profile. May in coming days, I will meet more and more people all over India in real.

Bihar – the write thing ! (6) – Rubberi Devi

Rubberi Devi, as the name suggests, is a goddess made up of Rubber. She is the most talked after goddess of Bihar. She exists everywhere, especially in the homes of poors, illiterates, and backwards. There are houses where you can find her photos in prayer rooms. But most of the time she exists sticking on to be the broken walls to protect them falling, thatched walls of mud houses to prevent cold airs coming in. While walking on the broken roads of Bihar, one can find her in abundance on electricity polls, she has enough resistance to cease further transmission of the electricity and she is successful too. Many people who are minorities, even if they don’t worship any God, they will pray her at least once in a 5 year.

My readers may ask me, why she was named as Rubberi Devi? It’s a small story,and I will share it with you. In short her father has special affection with milk. He once went to south India for pilgrimage after her pretty daughter was born. There he saw a new kind of tree. Sitting beneath the tree, just for quest, he pierced the bark of the tree and to his surprise; he found that a liquid like milk is flowing out from the wounded bark. After seeing this new thing in his life, his joys were out of limit and he thought he has discovered a tree of milk. He asked the local people about the tree’s name and knew that it was a rubber tree. He determined to name her newly born daughter Rubberi.

But different people tell different reasons too about her name. Rubberi Devi never had her own strength. For all the years on the throne, she always required some strength to sit there. The supporting strength is well built for her and still being maintained. She cares for every devotee of her. Her eyes gleam with joy, when she sees any laloo – pachhu coming to her as devotee. She keeps these devotees to entertain her other devotees when she meets them.

There is some thing more about her greatness. She never talks in any foreign language but does not care about using foreign words too. And to be certain, Rubberi Devi has a mouth of rubber too. What kind of spears will come out of the bow is difficult to predict.

She is faithful to her ‘small’ family. And there are some specialties in her personality that, you can’t tell that she can be a goddess. Neither she neither wears fancy jewellery nor is seen in makeup any where. She is fond of cooking and is the most preferred cook of the most important man of Bihar. The goddess of women empowerment is also the goddess of common woman of India for her faithfulness and partnership with her husband. Even if she is prayed all over Bihar, she finds herself weak in front of the living God, the Sun.

May be some effect of these goodness, now a day, the Biharis seem to make her the unchallenged goddess in the Bihar again. Rubberi Devi, showing a big laloopop in her left hand, is blessing all the Biharis to ‘survive’ and be happy. She is reappearing all over the Bihar towns again in posters. But how long the stickiness of Rubberi Devi will last, I wonder. Since last many years she is marvel of her elasticity. Why not till now any one is able to bend her down? The great Rubberi Devi of Bihar!

My other Posts in this series :
Bihar - the write thing! - (5) - Tea Production
Bihar - the write thing! - (4) - Common man and Media.
Bihar - the write thing! - (3) - Democracy
Bihar - the write thing! - (2) - Common Life
Bihar - the write thing! - (1) - Origin as a State

Telecom Policy - a Paradigm Shift

P. Chidambaram’s decision to raise the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to 74 percent in telecom sector and plans to implement the universal licensing regime by the middle of year seems to give a new turn to the Telecom policy of finance ministry.

The collation Govt. with so much leftist outcry against the increase of FDI is being silenced by the PC’s statement that every possible outcome has been well studied as well as security concerns.
Main points are worth notable:

• Majority of the directors including the chairman, MD, and CEO, “shall be” resident Indians.
• Al least one investor will have to hold 10% of the equity.
• Chief technical officer and chief technology officer “should be” resident Indians.
• No call between two points in India can be routed via any place outside the country.
• The company shall not transfer information on subscribers and details of infrastructure
• The company must provide traceable identity of subscribers.
• Network management and repairs cannot be outsourced outside the country.
  

At the same time the major players in the industry circumspect the possible outcomes after the universal license regime is implemented. And the universal licensing regime will allow the companies to offer additional services like television, internet and to VSAT links apart from telephony.

Major six players like BSNL, MTNL, Reliance, Tata, Bharati, Hutch in which the former two who are likely to be merged are aggressive to expand their network and value added services. For the telecom majors the FDI will certainly improve their operation performance. But the question is why the present govt. has to decide the increase in the FDI from 49 percent to 74 percent. The reasons are obvious need of huge investments of funds in the telecom sector as the different targets were set by the govt. By 2007, the national target of ‘250 million phones’, needs 1,60,000 crores and it’s impossible for Indian investors and FDI are needed. The Financial analysts are seeing it as a next step towards consolidation in the long run.

(The future prospects in the telecom sector in India, which is mostly dependent on electricity sector as a backbone. Now let’s see the govt. plans for the secotor. It’s seems a mirage but the policy if implemented there will be a major infrastructure reforms. To recapitulate in short,by the year 2012
1. the power demand of all Indian houses will be fulfilled.
2. Minimum consumption of electricity will be 1 unit per household per day as merit good.
3. Per capita availability of electricity is to be increased to over 100 units by 2012.

May we will live in a better India then if theories meet the practicals.

Indian Guns with Roses

“I want to eliminate ‘kills’ from army’s vocabulary”, General Joginder Jaswant Singh roared.

General J.J. Singh, the new army chief, who took over as the chief of the army on Monday, seems to make a transition in the Indian Army. At present, when the insurgent prone states cried foul against army atrocities and youths were thrown out of running train by the army personals and cease fire is going on in J&K, the announcements from the new four star general are very important. The image of an army personal with a pinpointed carbine towards the people and readiness to trigger and the feeling of the people getting intimidated is not only present in India, Iraqis have worst experience in this regard. The first Sikh army chief’s effort to scrap this image of army is worth watching. He will award the army troops not on the basis of kills or captures of so called insurgents but after inspecting the reports of local civic authorities like superintendent of police and the head of the panchayat.

WHAM, Winning Hearts And Minds, which was much talked about in the senior army circuit seems to be declared publicly. General Singh, the 22^nd occupant of the office, himself made the statements may be too early in his tenure, but the people of those insurgent prone states will be relieved a lot if the statements will be reflected in actions by the army personals.

At the same time General JJ can’t be underestimated for his winning capability. When he was the company commander in J&K he used the guns loaded with roses and frequently meet and address the common people and listen them to win their confidence.

Along with his announcement about reviewing the reduction in army troops in high altitudes he also wants to reorient priorities to the technological upgradation of the information systems, intensive use satellite communication. His aim is to transform the Indian army into 21^st century futuristic battlefield with mechanization of logistics and extensive use of IT.

Idol Worshipping

Today morning in newspaper, I saw a big photograph of Sania Mirza, with a huge garland containing enough flowers, to cover up the whole tennis court, around her neck and a crown and a big sword in her hand. The caption of the photo was “Burden of a billion”. This picture was snapped at her college at the felicitation program. This picture might have inspired the budding tennis players especially, the court girls. I too appreciate and admire the effort she put in her tennis career and her future plan. Good things must be encouraged but adoring one in such way, leaves some issues unanswered.

It’s nice to see that advertisement agencies come forward to these photogenic and popular faces and help them financially. No wonder if within some days their posters will start appearing on the roadside shops .People will decorate the living room walls with them. Some of them will put them for inspiration and mostly just for decoration.

I have seen many room walls filled with Aishwarya, Hirtik, Sachin, and so on. May these so called fans not put the big poster of their family members among those posters, who do support them in need! And among the fans, most of the time used in discussions, about their performance and so on ends without any net result but killing own time and potential. These Idol worshipping will exist in India with a lot of drama till people have free time.

On the other side of the coin, after so much adoration, the career of those performers will come under strict scanner, the expectations will increase. Some day when they will again leave for some major match abroad, people will wish them good luck with bouquets. By chance if the result is negative there and they will return home barehanded, only family members and very few supporters will be waiting on the airport.

These idols along with appreciation, support and finance need competitors inside the country, such that their performance will increase during the practice sessions. And to create competitors, we need to disseminate the idol worshipping efforts for them who are playing around us. There are many more potential sportswomen/men like Karnam Malleshwari, Milkha Singh, Anju Bobby George and P.T. Usha, Baichung Bhutia, Dhanraj Pillai around us who need moral and financial support, along with competition and they are capable to excel in Olympics.