The IPL fever is in full intensity in India these days. But the team in Noida and Rithala got addicted to this fever last January itself. It was the time when a cricketer from across the border had the temerity ‘the himmat’ to say a few rude things about the national icon – Sachin Tendulkar. Tauba ! Tauba ! But these two teams of Tata Power wanted to make a distinctive allusion to the country that the sky would not fall on such a small remark. Our cow is sacred.
It was 18th of January 2012 when the two teams decided to meet over a cricket match. In India, we consider cricket to be a religion but on that day, we considered it to be a celebration. A week before the match teams started to practice at their locations because each of them wanted the other to lose. Finally the verdict day arrived.
It was still an early morning when both the teams arrived at the Modern School Ground at Barakhamba Road in Delhi. The players were accompanied by their family members to cheer them up. The organizing team didn’t leave a stone unturned when it came to arrangements. It was a gala amalgamation of family, culture, exuberance and cricket. A little warm-up at the field made the players more energetic. They were all set to run an extra mile.
The umpires called both the captains for the toss and it was Noida Team which was asked to bat first. The openers couldn’t impress the spectators but it was middle order which showed a sense of calmness and the maturity to stay till the end as the wicket was slow. The way the top order collapsed reminded me of the cycle stands in front of the cinema hall – one falls and everything else falls. They could manage to set a target of 68 runs in 20 overs and it looked a competitive score because of the slow outfield.
Now it was the chance for the Rithala team to prove themselves but even their batsman couldn’t make an impactful performance. At the end the game became quite close. But it was poor fielding and a few poor deliveries which took the game away from Team Noida.
Both the team members congratulated each other for an abnormal (above-normal) performance. The cricket match which was held was more than a colonial past time because all these players won more friends than matches. The memories of this cricket match has now become everyone’s darling.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Campus Recruitment – A sack of happy memories
Tata Power is a happening place. The days that are spent create memories and the efforts that one makes helps the individual to enjoy an un-disturbed night at home. One such event which has sculptured some happy memories in my mind was the Campus Recruitment Process.
The campus recruitment season of Tata Power started on 8th of December 2011 and it was MNIT – Jaipur first on the cards. It followed with BIT Mesra, KIIT, Jadavpur, and many more but IIM-Rohtak was the full stop point. But everywhere I went, I could feel and experience the same culture. It was indeed interesting to see the air of anxiety which got engulfed in the chilly auditorium, sweat trickling down furrowed foreheads, pulses raising high and a lull falling as a noisy lot of students experiencing their hiccups of the strife involved in getting a first job. This was the archetypal scene on the D-Day of campus recruitment at MNIT Jaipur.
The sessions used to start with pre-placement talk. Company’s services, market presence, growth components, work culture and job profile – it covered them all. Eventually, everywhere the students were found waiting for something else and it was the salary structure. Slide No. 14 brought smile on many faces because it talked about compensation package.
The actual recruitment process always started with an online test to test the aptitude and analytical skills of engineers who were soon destined to become employees of Tata Power. During the online test, I could notice the wrinkles foreheads applying their grey cells to the optimum capacity. As the time was about to run out, frantic attempts were made to finish the maximum problems to make few last minute guesses. The mental workout that was involved was evident from the gasps and sighs from various corners. I could see a number of students discussing answers and trying to self-evaluate their chances of getting through. Some were busy reciting their last however never ending prayers, while some trying to avoid all the adrenalin rush by taking a power nap.
Finally, after the moment of reckoning, the results were read out. At each college, I could distinguish the sight of disappointment and the screams of joy. Then came the necessary instructions for next day’s Group Discussion and Interview but I am certain that as the night deepens, the initial euphoria of having made it in the online test, gives way to mounting tensions, as qualifiers get busy preparing for the interviews. The most interesting part of the preparation was the student gearing up to look the best. After interacting with one of the qualifiers at KIIT, it was very exciting on my part to know that on the night before the interview, there is a hasty hunt for the matching tie and the right fit of footwear and constant advice from their peers on what’s looking good and what is not as many try their formal attire for the first time on the D-Day. After they get over with the ramp show, they also get time to settle down burning the midnight oil, brushing basics, reviewing concepts and running from posts to pillars to find answers for those forgotten engineering questions.
Once the Group Discussion and Interview gets underway, the chill running down spines were obvious. As the friends came out, quick counseling’s were forthcoming to give a sneak peek into the interview panel and the questions being asked. There were last minute flipping through books and discussions. There were few confident and some nervous and shaky exits from the interview rooms.
I was really amused to see the silence which got deafened in the auditorium just before the announcement of the results. And as the results were announced, I could familiarize with ecstasy and mourning with highest profoundness and personification. The Chairman of the panel always welcomed the selected set of future employees.
The campus recruitment process continued for more than 2 months which was the hunt for engineers, diploma graduates and the MBA chaps. I covered more than 11 campuses travelling from Punjab and Haryana in the North to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa in the East but this 2 month made me learn new lessons of life. And today I realize that there are two set of people – One who have secured their future with us and another who have assessed their mistakes. The latter would have gone and applied for next company, but their efforts being marked by greater dedication, confidence and experience.
The campus recruitment season of Tata Power started on 8th of December 2011 and it was MNIT – Jaipur first on the cards. It followed with BIT Mesra, KIIT, Jadavpur, and many more but IIM-Rohtak was the full stop point. But everywhere I went, I could feel and experience the same culture. It was indeed interesting to see the air of anxiety which got engulfed in the chilly auditorium, sweat trickling down furrowed foreheads, pulses raising high and a lull falling as a noisy lot of students experiencing their hiccups of the strife involved in getting a first job. This was the archetypal scene on the D-Day of campus recruitment at MNIT Jaipur.
The sessions used to start with pre-placement talk. Company’s services, market presence, growth components, work culture and job profile – it covered them all. Eventually, everywhere the students were found waiting for something else and it was the salary structure. Slide No. 14 brought smile on many faces because it talked about compensation package.
The actual recruitment process always started with an online test to test the aptitude and analytical skills of engineers who were soon destined to become employees of Tata Power. During the online test, I could notice the wrinkles foreheads applying their grey cells to the optimum capacity. As the time was about to run out, frantic attempts were made to finish the maximum problems to make few last minute guesses. The mental workout that was involved was evident from the gasps and sighs from various corners. I could see a number of students discussing answers and trying to self-evaluate their chances of getting through. Some were busy reciting their last however never ending prayers, while some trying to avoid all the adrenalin rush by taking a power nap.
Finally, after the moment of reckoning, the results were read out. At each college, I could distinguish the sight of disappointment and the screams of joy. Then came the necessary instructions for next day’s Group Discussion and Interview but I am certain that as the night deepens, the initial euphoria of having made it in the online test, gives way to mounting tensions, as qualifiers get busy preparing for the interviews. The most interesting part of the preparation was the student gearing up to look the best. After interacting with one of the qualifiers at KIIT, it was very exciting on my part to know that on the night before the interview, there is a hasty hunt for the matching tie and the right fit of footwear and constant advice from their peers on what’s looking good and what is not as many try their formal attire for the first time on the D-Day. After they get over with the ramp show, they also get time to settle down burning the midnight oil, brushing basics, reviewing concepts and running from posts to pillars to find answers for those forgotten engineering questions.
Once the Group Discussion and Interview gets underway, the chill running down spines were obvious. As the friends came out, quick counseling’s were forthcoming to give a sneak peek into the interview panel and the questions being asked. There were last minute flipping through books and discussions. There were few confident and some nervous and shaky exits from the interview rooms.
I was really amused to see the silence which got deafened in the auditorium just before the announcement of the results. And as the results were announced, I could familiarize with ecstasy and mourning with highest profoundness and personification. The Chairman of the panel always welcomed the selected set of future employees.
The campus recruitment process continued for more than 2 months which was the hunt for engineers, diploma graduates and the MBA chaps. I covered more than 11 campuses travelling from Punjab and Haryana in the North to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa in the East but this 2 month made me learn new lessons of life. And today I realize that there are two set of people – One who have secured their future with us and another who have assessed their mistakes. The latter would have gone and applied for next company, but their efforts being marked by greater dedication, confidence and experience.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
To, The Prime Minister
Date: January 16, 2012
To,
The Prime Minister
Republic of India
New Delhi
Subject: Letter from a commoner
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Greetings for the day..!!
I hope that this letter finds you in best of health and conscience.
First of all, I congratulate you for serving this country as a Prime Minister for more than 7 years. I really admire when you stand tall at the Red Fort every year on 15th of August – the day of immense patriotism and express your thoughts as a Prime Minister of a country which is still in deep slumber.
Even you would agree to the fact that the events that have unfolded before us over the last several months does not make any of us proud or indeed happy about our moral compass as a nation that stands shoulder with the rest of the world. Many of us consider you guilty for not speaking enough about these matters in the past but still you can ‘regain’ regards for yourself if you do so now with the utmost conviction.
It’s always good to hear which you highlight some of our achievements for the year by standing on the ramparts of the historic monument – The Red Fort.
If we recap the past few months, we can see that as a nation we have achieved few milestones. As a result of our social and economic policies, we could lift tens of millions of people above the poverty line. Secondly, as a nation we achieved a world leading growth rate of over 8%. Also the FDI inflows reached record levels and major sectors were deregulated further to allow for better productivity and job creation. In addition to this, the tele-density, electricity-density and broadband access rose considerably to reach even the remotest areas.
As a member of G-20 and WTO, we could increase our leverage with other power by negotiating significant trade and nuclear agreements for ourselves. Furthermore, Women and ‘Dalits’ now form more than one-third of our elected representatives, thereby ensuring that their voices are amply heard.
This list is quite long and I personally thank you for your wonderful leadership and contribution in each of our achievements as a nation. But at the same time, I feel very sorry to mention to you that you have failed to feel the pain in our hearts and the wariness of our spirits.
Unfortunately, the list of scam-tainted issues is also very long. These events have cast such a cloud of aspersion on our achievements as a great nation that they have thrown into doubts even the relevance and sanctity of some of our finest democratic institutions.
In the reply to my letter, you can either defend your government or lay the blame at someone else’s door. I am sure that you would have had many occasions to do so and will continue to have many more. But I would only accept you as a true leader if you accept your blunders and request your countrymen to for one more chance to redeem the faith and trust in you.
The dead end is not far. With each passing day, your sustainability is getting questioned. If you want to stay awake to see tomorrow’s rising sun, you are expected to outline certain plans and strategies which could wash away your sins.
You could still re-enact a strong anti-corruption law, which could include effective whistleblower protection and swift justice, which will weed out this menace that afflicts our country. We all are painfully aware that this menace has touched each and every one of us in some form. Ours is a democracy of the people and it’s you who can ensure that we are proud of what we collectively put out. You can justify your position by ensuring that your office is included in the purview of such a law for which, you as Dr. Manmohan Singh must lead by example, as should every member of every public service in this country of ours.
You should also promise that your team shall be available to the commoners via public forums, including the internet, to listen to their feedback and grievances. You should also ensure coordination, due deliberation and time-bound decisions amongst all members of your cabinet with full accountability and transparency. All decisions should stand the test of fairness and professionalism. The common man’s interest should be the end goal and this intent should never be suspected.
Further to improve governance standards, you should instruct all ministers and bureaucrats to make at least two field visits, one announced and the other unannounced, to their respective constituencies - schools, hospitals, public services, offices, police stations, ration offices, Railways, post and telegraph, passport and the like - to ensure their smooth functioning. Additionally, your office should review the service delivery mechanisms of each ministry on a quarterly basis to ensure that those are kept honest and efficient.
Also, our borders are secure because our defense forces and you should ensure that our safety, security, sovereignty and freedom to live, as we desire, are not compromised under any circumstances. We expect you to be thankful to our free although not always fair media for their constant hawk eye on us. I am sure they will be equal partners in the enormous tasks that lie before you and your team.
We are a nation of high accomplishments. We have many more milestones to reach. We may not have put a man on the moon yet but we certainly made a woman capable of going to space. And let us each do our part on this road to collective excellence. Let us resolve that we all too shall fully comply with the law of our land and deliver on our citizen responsibilities.
My dear Prime Minister, it is time to reclaim our destiny. And we do not have a moment to waste. I am confident that with our trust on you and your team, we shall win together as a nation.
Jai Hind.
Warm Regards,
Varinder Singh
An Indian
To,
The Prime Minister
Republic of India
New Delhi
Subject: Letter from a commoner
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Greetings for the day..!!
I hope that this letter finds you in best of health and conscience.
First of all, I congratulate you for serving this country as a Prime Minister for more than 7 years. I really admire when you stand tall at the Red Fort every year on 15th of August – the day of immense patriotism and express your thoughts as a Prime Minister of a country which is still in deep slumber.
Even you would agree to the fact that the events that have unfolded before us over the last several months does not make any of us proud or indeed happy about our moral compass as a nation that stands shoulder with the rest of the world. Many of us consider you guilty for not speaking enough about these matters in the past but still you can ‘regain’ regards for yourself if you do so now with the utmost conviction.
It’s always good to hear which you highlight some of our achievements for the year by standing on the ramparts of the historic monument – The Red Fort.
If we recap the past few months, we can see that as a nation we have achieved few milestones. As a result of our social and economic policies, we could lift tens of millions of people above the poverty line. Secondly, as a nation we achieved a world leading growth rate of over 8%. Also the FDI inflows reached record levels and major sectors were deregulated further to allow for better productivity and job creation. In addition to this, the tele-density, electricity-density and broadband access rose considerably to reach even the remotest areas.
As a member of G-20 and WTO, we could increase our leverage with other power by negotiating significant trade and nuclear agreements for ourselves. Furthermore, Women and ‘Dalits’ now form more than one-third of our elected representatives, thereby ensuring that their voices are amply heard.
This list is quite long and I personally thank you for your wonderful leadership and contribution in each of our achievements as a nation. But at the same time, I feel very sorry to mention to you that you have failed to feel the pain in our hearts and the wariness of our spirits.
Unfortunately, the list of scam-tainted issues is also very long. These events have cast such a cloud of aspersion on our achievements as a great nation that they have thrown into doubts even the relevance and sanctity of some of our finest democratic institutions.
In the reply to my letter, you can either defend your government or lay the blame at someone else’s door. I am sure that you would have had many occasions to do so and will continue to have many more. But I would only accept you as a true leader if you accept your blunders and request your countrymen to for one more chance to redeem the faith and trust in you.
The dead end is not far. With each passing day, your sustainability is getting questioned. If you want to stay awake to see tomorrow’s rising sun, you are expected to outline certain plans and strategies which could wash away your sins.
You could still re-enact a strong anti-corruption law, which could include effective whistleblower protection and swift justice, which will weed out this menace that afflicts our country. We all are painfully aware that this menace has touched each and every one of us in some form. Ours is a democracy of the people and it’s you who can ensure that we are proud of what we collectively put out. You can justify your position by ensuring that your office is included in the purview of such a law for which, you as Dr. Manmohan Singh must lead by example, as should every member of every public service in this country of ours.
You should also promise that your team shall be available to the commoners via public forums, including the internet, to listen to their feedback and grievances. You should also ensure coordination, due deliberation and time-bound decisions amongst all members of your cabinet with full accountability and transparency. All decisions should stand the test of fairness and professionalism. The common man’s interest should be the end goal and this intent should never be suspected.
Further to improve governance standards, you should instruct all ministers and bureaucrats to make at least two field visits, one announced and the other unannounced, to their respective constituencies - schools, hospitals, public services, offices, police stations, ration offices, Railways, post and telegraph, passport and the like - to ensure their smooth functioning. Additionally, your office should review the service delivery mechanisms of each ministry on a quarterly basis to ensure that those are kept honest and efficient.
Also, our borders are secure because our defense forces and you should ensure that our safety, security, sovereignty and freedom to live, as we desire, are not compromised under any circumstances. We expect you to be thankful to our free although not always fair media for their constant hawk eye on us. I am sure they will be equal partners in the enormous tasks that lie before you and your team.
We are a nation of high accomplishments. We have many more milestones to reach. We may not have put a man on the moon yet but we certainly made a woman capable of going to space. And let us each do our part on this road to collective excellence. Let us resolve that we all too shall fully comply with the law of our land and deliver on our citizen responsibilities.
My dear Prime Minister, it is time to reclaim our destiny. And we do not have a moment to waste. I am confident that with our trust on you and your team, we shall win together as a nation.
Jai Hind.
Warm Regards,
Varinder Singh
An Indian
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Campus to Corporate
“Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.”
~H. Jackson Brown
It was 5th June 2011, packed up with new dreams, exhilarations, thrill, vigor and the zeal to perform, the freshly recruited GET’s of Tata Power made their way out to National Power Training Institute (NPTI) – Faridabad. It was time to step into the new world - a world which has become obsessed about information, speed of delivery and efficiency by multitasking.
When we stepped out of our school, we were cautious about the career but not that much really, thinking that life would be much easier and free, as it was the college time, free from all stringent school rules and daily punishments. Neither homework, nor a bulky bags just a thin notebook and pen. Fewer lectures and more bunks, and having fun all the day with the fellow peers. 4 years passed with the same thoughts and enthusiasm. Now it was time to step into the arena where real people fight it out with their skills, knowledge and experience. Like any person, whether sighted or visually disabled, we all were both nervous and excited about the day. It was very important for each one of us to ensure that we be at par with everyone, that each one of us could do what the others could.
Reporting ourselves to the concerned authorities at NPTI and getting ourselves allotted a room at the premises of NPTI was amusing. Each one us was happy with the accommodation and the food which was served to us. The excitement level kept on rising as and how we started meeting the other GET’s from various colleges across the country. The Corporate HR team was there on the first two days to complete the initial job induction formalities. We were briefed about the 1st year of our association with India’s oldest and largest private sector power company – Tata Power.
Joining an organization which has huge scope to grow and expand and is a company which provides a utopian talent to its employees to augment the vigor with several kinds of exhilarating features, was an important decision and a significant milestone in our life. The work life started off on a very elevated note with a first lecture of training on ‘Coal to Electricity’. The batch comprised of few sparkling electrical engineers, some dazzling civil engineers, a number of gleaming mechanical engineers and also a few bright control and instrumentation engineers. It represented a mixed culture of India because we had people from diverse corners of the nation.
Muddled up with these feelings, the journey to become Power Engineers started, keeping the fortitude of the great ‘Tata Pariwar’ alive forever and ever. The morning and afternoon was spent in the class which the evening was passed in the sports ground. Saturdays were fun, because top management spokespersons of Tata Power would come down to Faridabad to broaden the horizon of knowledge of young GET’s. The sessions always reminded us that Learning is a continuous process and we should crave for learning with application of our knowledge in upliftment of down trodden and betterment of society.
Apart from those classroom lectures we also had some fun filled trips including an amazing trip of one of the 7 wonders of the world – The Taj Mahal. This was followed by a cultural evening which provided an admirable platform to the freshly recruited GET’s of Tata Power to showcase their talent and creativity through a diverse set of cultural performances. But at the end of the day each of us realized that during these 8 weeks at NPTI, we gained more friends than knowledge.
The 8 weeks that we spent at NPTI as an employee of Tata Power made us comprehend that we are the stewards of this company and custodian of a very rich tradition of antiquity with modernization. As we march towards becoming a 25, 000 MW Company by 2017, our role as that of a young GET of Tata Power becomes increasingly important. Now then we have entered into our realistic life, when the Indian economy is growing at a rate of 8.9%, which means a lot of opportunities opening up in Business and Industry. However it’s a big challenge to sustain this economic growth that doesn’t adversely affect the natural assets of our company and our country.
I remember all this vividly because, as it was my first training at Tata Power, it was a challenge for me. The first exercise was a success, however, I presume that this training would help me maintain comfort levels on the subsequent days to come and be successful as a employee of Tata Power.
'Aye' to Anna's Lokpal Bill
“Corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtedly are today”….Mahatma Gandhi
Virus Detected: CORRUPTION
Sometimes a sense of unrestrained virtue can also challenge democracy. The confrontation, altercation and the campaigns by civil society activists over the Jan Lokpal Bill is a reminder of this uncomfortable truth. It started on 5th April 2011 when a ‘fakir’ whose imperial power is personified and one who is the emissary of idealism – Mr. Anna Hazare went for a fast unto death at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, though the seeds of this movement were sown long ago. Soon this movement was supported by Retired IPS Officer – Dr. Kiran Bedi, RTI Activist – Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and some other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar and Mallika Sarabhai. No sooner than later, the bill got drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal
This movement is an expression of collective anger of people of India who wish to fight against corruption and the people shoring up for this share a common motto i.e. to curtail the corruption in India.
The integrity of fasting unto death for a political cause in a legitimate democracy has always been a delicate issue. There is something profoundly coercive about fasting unto death. When it is tied to an unparalleled moral eminence, as it is in the case of Anna Hazare, it leads to Unity and awareness. It’s like waking up India from a deep slumber. This is the result of those circumstances, where the tyranny of government is so oppressive and the moral cause at stake is so vital that some such method of protest is called for.
On the other hand the response from our honourable government is disgraceful and appalling. A couple of days back, our cabinet has passed a government’s lokpal draft which has a very constricted and narrow jurisdiction. This draft from the government involves corruption rather than taking out a measure to eradicate it. The government plans to keep the ‘panchayats’ which are the epitomes of corruption, out of the lokpal bill. The government also wishes to keep NREGA and the Public Distribution System out of the lokpal’s supervision when studies have proved that 80% of 30,000 Crores of annual subsidies is siphoned off. The medicine stores in government hospitals, the roads in cities and villages which are constructed and they come back to their previous worst conditions in few days of their construction because of the enormous corruption involved in it, is also out of lokpal’s custody. The municipal corruption, the Adarsh housing scam, the Common Wealth Games Scam, Reddy Brothers Scam, Mining Scam, Cash for Vote Scam, Yamuna Expressway scam and all others have been placed out of Government’s Jan Lokpal’s Bill super view.
The government’s hunger doesn’t stop here. It also says that out Honourable Prime Minister is out of Jan Lokpal Bill’s guardianship. The MP’s are not answerable as per Jan Lokpal Bill. Our MLA’s are outside government’s lokpal, the ‘surpanchs’ are outside government’s lokpal, Muncipal counselors are outside government’s lokpal, all state government employees across the country are outside government’s lokpal, All groups – B, C and D grades of central government employees are outside government’s lokpal. Now here I stand firm and tall to question our government that ‘What is inside Government’s Lokpal…?’
Today if the government is adamant, we need to become more. To fight against this cause our ‘fakir’ has promised to once again go for fasting unto death from 16th August, 2011. And extending support to social activist Anna Hazare over Lokpal Bill issue, Mumbai's famous dabba-walas have said that there would be no service on August 16, the day our Anna proposes to start his hunger strike. When a survey was conducted in various cities across the country maximum people favoured the Jan Lokpal Bill. In Nagpur, 81 percent spoke in favour, in Mumbai, it was 95 per cent. Social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare has himself said: “If people’s views are not taken into account then it’s not a democracy; 85-86 per cent people agree with us on every issue, so does Kapil Sibal really represent the people or their views in his constituency?”
Today corruption has become a challenge. And public agitation is required to shame government. The people associated with this movement for India against Corruption have set examples of sacrifice and integrity that lesser mortals can scarcely hope to emulate. In this age of cynicism, these sacrifices should cause all of us to introspect.
Virus Detected: CORRUPTION
Sometimes a sense of unrestrained virtue can also challenge democracy. The confrontation, altercation and the campaigns by civil society activists over the Jan Lokpal Bill is a reminder of this uncomfortable truth. It started on 5th April 2011 when a ‘fakir’ whose imperial power is personified and one who is the emissary of idealism – Mr. Anna Hazare went for a fast unto death at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, though the seeds of this movement were sown long ago. Soon this movement was supported by Retired IPS Officer – Dr. Kiran Bedi, RTI Activist – Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and some other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar and Mallika Sarabhai. No sooner than later, the bill got drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal
This movement is an expression of collective anger of people of India who wish to fight against corruption and the people shoring up for this share a common motto i.e. to curtail the corruption in India.
The integrity of fasting unto death for a political cause in a legitimate democracy has always been a delicate issue. There is something profoundly coercive about fasting unto death. When it is tied to an unparalleled moral eminence, as it is in the case of Anna Hazare, it leads to Unity and awareness. It’s like waking up India from a deep slumber. This is the result of those circumstances, where the tyranny of government is so oppressive and the moral cause at stake is so vital that some such method of protest is called for.
On the other hand the response from our honourable government is disgraceful and appalling. A couple of days back, our cabinet has passed a government’s lokpal draft which has a very constricted and narrow jurisdiction. This draft from the government involves corruption rather than taking out a measure to eradicate it. The government plans to keep the ‘panchayats’ which are the epitomes of corruption, out of the lokpal bill. The government also wishes to keep NREGA and the Public Distribution System out of the lokpal’s supervision when studies have proved that 80% of 30,000 Crores of annual subsidies is siphoned off. The medicine stores in government hospitals, the roads in cities and villages which are constructed and they come back to their previous worst conditions in few days of their construction because of the enormous corruption involved in it, is also out of lokpal’s custody. The municipal corruption, the Adarsh housing scam, the Common Wealth Games Scam, Reddy Brothers Scam, Mining Scam, Cash for Vote Scam, Yamuna Expressway scam and all others have been placed out of Government’s Jan Lokpal’s Bill super view.
The government’s hunger doesn’t stop here. It also says that out Honourable Prime Minister is out of Jan Lokpal Bill’s guardianship. The MP’s are not answerable as per Jan Lokpal Bill. Our MLA’s are outside government’s lokpal, the ‘surpanchs’ are outside government’s lokpal, Muncipal counselors are outside government’s lokpal, all state government employees across the country are outside government’s lokpal, All groups – B, C and D grades of central government employees are outside government’s lokpal. Now here I stand firm and tall to question our government that ‘What is inside Government’s Lokpal…?’
Today if the government is adamant, we need to become more. To fight against this cause our ‘fakir’ has promised to once again go for fasting unto death from 16th August, 2011. And extending support to social activist Anna Hazare over Lokpal Bill issue, Mumbai's famous dabba-walas have said that there would be no service on August 16, the day our Anna proposes to start his hunger strike. When a survey was conducted in various cities across the country maximum people favoured the Jan Lokpal Bill. In Nagpur, 81 percent spoke in favour, in Mumbai, it was 95 per cent. Social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare has himself said: “If people’s views are not taken into account then it’s not a democracy; 85-86 per cent people agree with us on every issue, so does Kapil Sibal really represent the people or their views in his constituency?”
Today corruption has become a challenge. And public agitation is required to shame government. The people associated with this movement for India against Corruption have set examples of sacrifice and integrity that lesser mortals can scarcely hope to emulate. In this age of cynicism, these sacrifices should cause all of us to introspect.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Its time to bid adieu...!!
17th August 2007 - the day which will always be remembered because it was the day when Mrs. and Mr. Singh reached Bhubaneswar along with their elder son to make him the first engineer of their family. It was those day whose memories will never ever fade. After completing his schooling from Jamshedpur, he joined KIIT University in School of Mechanical Engineering. And now the day has come when this child of his parents is all set to return back home as an ENGINEER.
These four years celebrated in KIIT has given me moments which will be embedded in my heart forever. It’s about the best days of my life… the days when we celebrated friendship… the days when we celebrated life. It was a new life altogether which started during the time when the sun was asleep, the night was silent and the cocktail of thrill and excitement was enough to warm us up by the end of these four years. The last semester is in its closing stage and very soon the race for survival would start. For the last three and half years, every time we returned from home, there used to be a dread about college curriculum or the mess food or the fact the our Profs would be breathing down our neck.
But this time around nobody talks about the home and the syllabus but the bulk of the discussion is about how the four years have gone by. The discussion would start at atmaram and it would be kind of dialogues on the fun we had and how we have managed to cram our way through seven semesters with no noticeable improvement in us except of course the spirit of query quelled and the zeal of education take away. The life that we spent had everything in it - from project reviews to campus interviews, from nicknames to last bench games, from cultural rehearsals to love proposals and from short time crushes to classroom blushes. We all were in elation till the painful moment of separation. I regret leaving friends, motivators, mentors and guide's here. One can literally sense the desperation when everyone wants to hold on to this time and make it stay forever.
The life spent in the hostel is beyond description. Our birthdays were made so special by our friends that we never missed our home on this special day. The friendship days, the Valentine’s Day, those rose days and the days to come – each of them have occupied a special place in our heart. These were those days when we, full of blinding speeds, no lights and young blood – everyone was in a fantasy world, a world where nothing existed except us.
I must admit here that 94% of KIITians in their first three of engineering spend 49% of their life chatting and on facebook because it’s the best place where maximum of the couples initiate their relationship from. And the rest 6% make reading room as their second home. Today when it’s time to part, we will return back with a heavy heart. I learnt a habit to catch on sleep no matter in which position I am, it may be lectures, labs or seminars.
Today we all have jobs in our hand but the sun of our life is yet to be traced. Our life is like a sea which appears as infinite sphere of water whose centre was everywhere and circumference nowhere. We still hope the sun of our life to come out in full glory and paint every element of our life with a tinge of gold. After these days are going to end, I will envy all my juniors. Why? Because they would be the one who would enjoy college life and party hard and I won’t be one of them.
Each one of us want to leave our footprint in the sand of time but very few of us are able to do so. The best things of life come in surprise packages – After our engineering, our jobs will engage us during the day time but the time that we will spend now will engage our memories. Each one of us will become busy a lot but no one can escape destiny’s plot.
I wish life could just rewind. Let us laugh, play and rejoice again because I am all set to become an engineer today but I don’t know whether to smile or to feel sad.
Dedicated to all my friends with whom I have spent at least a moment of these wonderful four years.
These four years celebrated in KIIT has given me moments which will be embedded in my heart forever. It’s about the best days of my life… the days when we celebrated friendship… the days when we celebrated life. It was a new life altogether which started during the time when the sun was asleep, the night was silent and the cocktail of thrill and excitement was enough to warm us up by the end of these four years. The last semester is in its closing stage and very soon the race for survival would start. For the last three and half years, every time we returned from home, there used to be a dread about college curriculum or the mess food or the fact the our Profs would be breathing down our neck.
But this time around nobody talks about the home and the syllabus but the bulk of the discussion is about how the four years have gone by. The discussion would start at atmaram and it would be kind of dialogues on the fun we had and how we have managed to cram our way through seven semesters with no noticeable improvement in us except of course the spirit of query quelled and the zeal of education take away. The life that we spent had everything in it - from project reviews to campus interviews, from nicknames to last bench games, from cultural rehearsals to love proposals and from short time crushes to classroom blushes. We all were in elation till the painful moment of separation. I regret leaving friends, motivators, mentors and guide's here. One can literally sense the desperation when everyone wants to hold on to this time and make it stay forever.
The life spent in the hostel is beyond description. Our birthdays were made so special by our friends that we never missed our home on this special day. The friendship days, the Valentine’s Day, those rose days and the days to come – each of them have occupied a special place in our heart. These were those days when we, full of blinding speeds, no lights and young blood – everyone was in a fantasy world, a world where nothing existed except us.
I must admit here that 94% of KIITians in their first three of engineering spend 49% of their life chatting and on facebook because it’s the best place where maximum of the couples initiate their relationship from. And the rest 6% make reading room as their second home. Today when it’s time to part, we will return back with a heavy heart. I learnt a habit to catch on sleep no matter in which position I am, it may be lectures, labs or seminars.
Today we all have jobs in our hand but the sun of our life is yet to be traced. Our life is like a sea which appears as infinite sphere of water whose centre was everywhere and circumference nowhere. We still hope the sun of our life to come out in full glory and paint every element of our life with a tinge of gold. After these days are going to end, I will envy all my juniors. Why? Because they would be the one who would enjoy college life and party hard and I won’t be one of them.
Each one of us want to leave our footprint in the sand of time but very few of us are able to do so. The best things of life come in surprise packages – After our engineering, our jobs will engage us during the day time but the time that we will spend now will engage our memories. Each one of us will become busy a lot but no one can escape destiny’s plot.
I wish life could just rewind. Let us laugh, play and rejoice again because I am all set to become an engineer today but I don’t know whether to smile or to feel sad.
Dedicated to all my friends with whom I have spent at least a moment of these wonderful four years.
Friday, November 19, 2010
VARINDER SINGH: from a RED LINE wonder to a LEADER IN ACTION
You are one of those 552 Indians reading this story of a person who in his childhood days was as confused as a child in a topless bar. A person who was born on 20th March, 1989 in a land of Uranium Mines – Mosaboni (60 kilo meters from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand) and whose entry in this world brought smiles on hundreds of faces is here to share with you a fact that how small things bring Big Revolutions.
Dressed in white shirt, grey half pants and a with a tie on my shirt, I was ready to attend my first day of my class in Vig English School in Jamshedpur where I was admitted in class V, just because I scored miserably in class IV at St. Joseph’s Convent High School and could manage to save 5 subjects from getting a red line out of the 8 that I appeared. I was not thrown of the school but was thrown out of my grandparent’s house. My grandparent’s wanted me to get under the clutches of my father. First day of school with new faces, unknown buildings, unfamiliar corridors and teachers, who appeared to me as aliens, many thoughts came floating to my cerebrum as I was keen to know about my new friends in my new school, I wanted to get mixed with my fellow mates but I was given a seat in the last bench of the class. At first, I thought that to be a tradition to welcome the newly admitted students to the school but later I realized that I was made to sit with the brightest student of the class who became a very good friend of mine after few days. It’s true that sometimes our bench partners turn out to be our best associates. By the time I joined this school, quarter of a session was already over and I was told that I had missed 4 weekly tests. I tried to study to make up to my missed classes and concepts, but could manage to get a rank of 52 in the class which had a total strength of 54 students. I was happy because I was ahead of 2 students in my class but my dad wasn’t. On listening to this news he displayed me 7 stages of fury.
I was promoted to class VI. It was time to wear full pants and write with pen. This excited me to attend classes. I loved playing gully cricket but ‘Vicky! Go and study’ was one phrase which kept on ringing bells in my mind. Reading text books or doing home works was something which I never enjoyed. I wanted to live in world full of enjoyment and excitement, a world which would free a student from books, home works and exams. I enjoyed my time in school talking to friends, hitting them with chalks when the teacher would turn towards the black board to write, snatching their Tiffin boxes and decorating the class’ soft board. My parents kept on warning me about the exams but these warnings always fell in deaf ears. I was living in my own world when suddenly I realized that it was exams time and I had no other option left in my bag. I studied but this time I had a reason to be proud of myself because this time I was ahead of 4 students in the class. I could find an improvement in myself from 2 to 4. But this improvement was too low to inspire me to study.
I moved to class VII. My course was becoming tougher and tougher and I couldn’t find things going my way. Suddenly I got a brainchild. This was enough to make me study till my board exams because I shared the idea of opening a big variety store with my dad after completing my board exams. This business would flourish as it was evident from my lackadaisical attitude towards studies and an added interest towards recreation. As soon as I shared this idea with my dad, the next moment came a reply from my dad. I still remember those exact words which he uttered. If I distort those words, I will take the spirit of the man away. He said,” If you have anything to discuss related to my studies, I have both Time and Money for you. If it’s related to anything apart from your studies, I have neither Time nor money for you. ” I was traumatized at this. A pageant silence got gulfed on my face.
It seemed as if I have lost the battle of my life. I felt deserted even among my own loved ones. It seemed as if my strength and determination has flown away in the horizon, in just one dolt. I had nothing to repent over the most precious dreams of my life, though there wasn’t any fault of mine. I tried to convince my mother but landed up in vain.
Those words of my father inspired me. Those words motivated me. And then came along a time when I realized that nothing is constant and permanent in the world, neither time nor life, neither problems nor solutions; neither precautions nor cure, neither success nor failure. I felt that the dreams that I had lost was never mine. I acquired that dream just in the process of combating the battle of time. Then I started emerging my curiosity to study and work hard, this time as a student and not as a business man.
I still remember those moments when I stood 17th in the class of 54. That gave me a chance to boost up my confidence level. I worked hard and could manage to end up my school life as one among the top 3 students of the class for which I am proud to be even today. I realized a talent in me and that was my ability to speak in front of any big crowd. I gave enough time to nurture this talent and it had helped me to win 5 national level awards till now. I got into engineering at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar and during the 4 long year vacations, I did almost all the things which I could and this arrayed from organizing events to night outs, late night sleep to regular classes and from no smoking to no drinking.
Today I have much more in my bags than just drafters, dreams and documents. This was possible because I didn’t lose hope. I had faith and belief in myself. I realized that every human is born with a purpose. So I kept on thinking positive and behaving like and optimist. I wish that these positive vibrations will keep on attracting and attaching new strings in my life. These strings will bring and create harmony and music in my colourful life. Today my life has become a musical note….
Dressed in white shirt, grey half pants and a with a tie on my shirt, I was ready to attend my first day of my class in Vig English School in Jamshedpur where I was admitted in class V, just because I scored miserably in class IV at St. Joseph’s Convent High School and could manage to save 5 subjects from getting a red line out of the 8 that I appeared. I was not thrown of the school but was thrown out of my grandparent’s house. My grandparent’s wanted me to get under the clutches of my father. First day of school with new faces, unknown buildings, unfamiliar corridors and teachers, who appeared to me as aliens, many thoughts came floating to my cerebrum as I was keen to know about my new friends in my new school, I wanted to get mixed with my fellow mates but I was given a seat in the last bench of the class. At first, I thought that to be a tradition to welcome the newly admitted students to the school but later I realized that I was made to sit with the brightest student of the class who became a very good friend of mine after few days. It’s true that sometimes our bench partners turn out to be our best associates. By the time I joined this school, quarter of a session was already over and I was told that I had missed 4 weekly tests. I tried to study to make up to my missed classes and concepts, but could manage to get a rank of 52 in the class which had a total strength of 54 students. I was happy because I was ahead of 2 students in my class but my dad wasn’t. On listening to this news he displayed me 7 stages of fury.
I was promoted to class VI. It was time to wear full pants and write with pen. This excited me to attend classes. I loved playing gully cricket but ‘Vicky! Go and study’ was one phrase which kept on ringing bells in my mind. Reading text books or doing home works was something which I never enjoyed. I wanted to live in world full of enjoyment and excitement, a world which would free a student from books, home works and exams. I enjoyed my time in school talking to friends, hitting them with chalks when the teacher would turn towards the black board to write, snatching their Tiffin boxes and decorating the class’ soft board. My parents kept on warning me about the exams but these warnings always fell in deaf ears. I was living in my own world when suddenly I realized that it was exams time and I had no other option left in my bag. I studied but this time I had a reason to be proud of myself because this time I was ahead of 4 students in the class. I could find an improvement in myself from 2 to 4. But this improvement was too low to inspire me to study.
I moved to class VII. My course was becoming tougher and tougher and I couldn’t find things going my way. Suddenly I got a brainchild. This was enough to make me study till my board exams because I shared the idea of opening a big variety store with my dad after completing my board exams. This business would flourish as it was evident from my lackadaisical attitude towards studies and an added interest towards recreation. As soon as I shared this idea with my dad, the next moment came a reply from my dad. I still remember those exact words which he uttered. If I distort those words, I will take the spirit of the man away. He said,” If you have anything to discuss related to my studies, I have both Time and Money for you. If it’s related to anything apart from your studies, I have neither Time nor money for you. ” I was traumatized at this. A pageant silence got gulfed on my face.
It seemed as if I have lost the battle of my life. I felt deserted even among my own loved ones. It seemed as if my strength and determination has flown away in the horizon, in just one dolt. I had nothing to repent over the most precious dreams of my life, though there wasn’t any fault of mine. I tried to convince my mother but landed up in vain.
Those words of my father inspired me. Those words motivated me. And then came along a time when I realized that nothing is constant and permanent in the world, neither time nor life, neither problems nor solutions; neither precautions nor cure, neither success nor failure. I felt that the dreams that I had lost was never mine. I acquired that dream just in the process of combating the battle of time. Then I started emerging my curiosity to study and work hard, this time as a student and not as a business man.
I still remember those moments when I stood 17th in the class of 54. That gave me a chance to boost up my confidence level. I worked hard and could manage to end up my school life as one among the top 3 students of the class for which I am proud to be even today. I realized a talent in me and that was my ability to speak in front of any big crowd. I gave enough time to nurture this talent and it had helped me to win 5 national level awards till now. I got into engineering at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar and during the 4 long year vacations, I did almost all the things which I could and this arrayed from organizing events to night outs, late night sleep to regular classes and from no smoking to no drinking.
Today I have much more in my bags than just drafters, dreams and documents. This was possible because I didn’t lose hope. I had faith and belief in myself. I realized that every human is born with a purpose. So I kept on thinking positive and behaving like and optimist. I wish that these positive vibrations will keep on attracting and attaching new strings in my life. These strings will bring and create harmony and music in my colourful life. Today my life has become a musical note….
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