Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Just like that...

Dear friend,

I understand that you have been through the whole gamut of emotions in life- from joy to despair, from excitement to frustration and from love to hatred. I know at this moment you are feeling cynical about life and the entire people around you. You are slowly starting to realize that world is not how you desired it to be. In fact, I want to tell you that thinking of a world that is outright selfless shows lack of clarity of mind and immaturity.

I gather why you feel this way- as if people are here to pull you down and waiting for a chance to annoy you. I know how nice you have been to people around you. And I even know some have told you that you go beyond your limits to help others. Now I’m not saying that’s bad and you quit acting all goodie-goodie. You feel people show their back and they are besotted with their own little things when you are in need of some help. Believe me when I say this!! This is life and that’s how life puts you through pains and pressure. It tests your tolerance and those principles that you want to carry along with you in life. It’s the battle between the treacherous life (as you conceive it to be) and your principles. You must fight it down with courage and perseverance. All alone. Just don’t give up!!

My dear pal, people are not to be blamed. It is only time for you now better than ever before to recognize eccentricities among people and to say yourself “It takes all sorts to make a world”.


Yours,
U know who I am!!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

UPSC calling...

The D-day is around the corner. (Sometimes I wonder if the D-day could also have figurative meaning-dreaded day). The day that would open new doors for some and would show the way out for many. People here in Rajinder Nagar who are tagged “ IAS aspirants” are keeping their fingers crossed for they have no clue when is this day. This is the day when the results of Preliminary Exams will be out. No date is fixed. UPSC ,the constitutional body that shoulders the mammoth task of choosing IASs and IPSs, is known for keeping this date totally out of our clue. But somehow date gets to people through the word of mouth as the coaching institutes always have some insider sitting in UPSC. As I said this day would show new doors to some, but these doors does not lead to red carpet rolled pompous air conditioned ceremonial halls. Instead they’ll lead us to smothering maze of dozens of new doors. Well, that’s the next stage in the 3-tier process of selection. They call it “Mains Examination” .Yes, the name does imply how important it is. These bunch of candidates need to put themselves through in another 2 months of indigence and slogging hours.
And for the other set of folks who are shown their way out its end of their IAS dreams, as UPSC limits the maximum number of attempts. These are the people who have exhausted their maximum attempts. But there are another set of aspirants who are neither shown the door in nor out!! These people go ahead with life hoping for another better year. Thank god, this selection is an yearly affair.
Now where would I fit in?? Luckily this was my first try with this exam. So I have two options: either I’ll be shown the door in or gotta take the next train. Hey!! Do I hear a knock at my door??

Monday, July 03, 2006

Caught In a Vicious Circle



11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 3:00PM to 4 PM, 7.15 PM to 8.30 PM. Please do not mistake this to be timings for any super hit TV soaps nor for any live football matches. These are nothing but dreaded hours when people here in my place have to go thru the trauma of regular power cuts. If you think this is in some place that is part of govt’s rural electrification program and where work is still in progress let me dispel your prejudice. I live in Delhi- the rajdhani. If there were one virtue I have to hold these power distribution companies high for I would say it is their strict adherence to the timings. Well, call them reminders at those hours. Reminds us of what? Reminds us of what time it is?? That would be facetious if you think so. It reminds us that India is one country where supply starves the demand. Let me keep food production out of this, for I’m afraid if I’ll get lost in the granary of million tonnes of grains that were denied to burp out of the mouths of millions of those with hungry stomachs. So, let me confine myself to power.

Thanks for this frequent power cuts for it has broadened my horizon. If it had not been for this I’d have wallowed in comforts without making an attempt to try and understand what a deeper malaise it is. For your information govt data goes like this: India’s power transmission and distribution loses is between 35% to 40%. Of the remaining 60% only 40% get billed. Applying simple maths that’s nearly one fourth of the actual production. If so pathetic is the condition what would you expect from state electricity boards (SEBs). A treasury filled with gold, silvers , and gems?? May be yes if only SEBs were ducks laying golden eggs. But in real that’s not the case and I can’t think of any animal or bird to make a proper analogy. Pigs?? skunk??Hyenas?? or a scorpion that stings?? Just go wild. I'll leave that to you.

Yes, finally admitted shamelessly that they are bad and ugly. They said bring those corporate brands in the name of “privatization”(I have nothing against privatization as long as they serve public interest) Reliance, TATA welcome aboard!! And what have these private players left us with? Hiked power tariffs, burnt a hole in our pockets in the name of electronic meters and got our armpits and groins sweating.

Why is this power deficit in a power conscious democratic country? It seems they blame inadequate coal supply. While you probe in further, you will see coal industry pointing their fingers at railways: less wagons .Lalooji, (read railways)kya yeh sach hai?? He says there is no enough steel to manufacture wagons. And TATAji (think steel, think TISCO) blames deficit production of power. Power-coal-wagons-steel-power. We are entangled in this vicious circle. It’s that simple. And I’m not suggesting that this is life and you take it!!




(P.S: It was 10.30 in the night when i was drafting this and there was an univited power cut for just 15 minutes. An aberration. May be NDPL hae learnt to give surprises!!)