Interesting Quote - Life & Death

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No caption - If only you can understand ... life today

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Some good advices for daily life

 

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जीवन के तीन मंतर ...

जीवन के तीन मंतर 

गाँधी जी के तीन बन्दर 

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The struggle of a Butterfly - A small story

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Until it suddenly stopped making any progress and looked like it was stuck.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, although it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man didn’t think anything of it and sat there waiting for the wings to enlarge to support the butterfly. But that didn’t happen. The butterfly spent the rest of its life unable to fly, crawling around with tiny wings and a swollen body.

Despite the kind heart of the man, he didn’t understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle needed by the butterfly to get itself through the small opening; were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings. To prepare itself for flying once it was out of the cocoon.

 

Moral of the story:

Our struggles in life develop our strengths. Without struggles, we never grow and never get stronger, so it’s important for us to tackle challenges on our own, and not be relying on help from others.

 

*Source: wealthygorilla.com

प्रेरणादायक प्रसंग

तीन गांठें – भगवान बुद्ध प्रेरक प्रसंग

भगवान बुद्ध अक्सर अपने शिष्यो  को शिक्षा  प्रदान किया करते थे। एक दिन प्रातः काल बहुत से भिक्षुक उनका प्रवचन सुनने के लिए बैठे थे । बुद्ध समय पर सभा में पहुंचे, पर आज शिष्य उन्हें देखकर चकित थे क्योंकि आज पहली बार वे अपने हाथ में कुछ लेकर आए थे। करीब आने पर शिष्यों  ने देखा कि  उनके हाथ में एक रस्सी  थी। बुद्ध ने आसन ग्रहण  किया  और बिना किसी से कुछ कहे वे रस्सी में गांठें लगाने लगे ।

वहां उपस्थित सभी लोग यह देख सोच रहे थे कि अब बुद्ध आगे क्या करेंगे ; तभी बुद्ध ने सभी से एक प्रश्न किया, ‘ मैंने इस रस्सी में तीन गांठें लगा दी हैं , अब मैं आपसे ये जानना चाहता हूं कि क्या यह वही रस्सी है, जो गाँठें लगाने से पूर्व थी ?’

एक शिष्य ने उत्तर में कहा,” गुरूजी इसका उत्तर देना थोड़ा कठिन है, ये वास्तव में हमारे देखने के तरीके पर निर्भर है। एक दृष्टिकोण से देखें तो रस्सी वही है, इसमें कोई बदलाव नहीं आया है । दूसरी तरह से देखें तो अब इसमें तीन गांठें लगी हुई हैं जो पहले नहीं थीं; अतः इसे बदला हुआ कह सकते हैं। पर ये बात भी ध्यान देने वाली है कि बाहर से देखने में भले ही ये बदली हुई प्रतीत हो पर अंदर से तो ये वही है जो पहले थी; इसका बुनियादी स्वरुप अपरिवर्तित है।”

“सत्य है !”, बुद्ध ने कहा ,” अब मैं इन गांठों को खोल देता हूँ।”यह कहकर बुद्ध रस्सी के दोनों सिरों को एक दुसरे से दूर खींचने लगे। उन्होंने पुछा, “तुम्हें क्या लगता है, इस प्रकार इन्हें खींचने से क्या मैं इन गांठों को खोल सकता हूँ?”

“नहीं-नहीं , ऐसा करने से तो या गांठें तो और भी कस जाएंगी और इन्हे खोलना और मुश्किल हो जाएगा। “, एक शिष्य ने शीघ्रता से उत्तर दिया।

बुद्ध ने कहा, ‘ ठीक है , अब एक आखिरी प्रश्न, बताओ इन गांठों को खोलने के लिए हमें क्या करना होगा ?’

शिष्य बोला ,’”इसके लिए हमें इन गांठों को गौर से देखना होगा , ताकि हम जान सकें कि इन्हे कैसे लगाया गया था , और फिर हम इन्हे खोलने का प्रयास कर सकते हैं। “

“मैं यही तो सुनना चाहता था। मूल प्रश्न यही है कि जिस समस्या में तुम फंसे हो, वास्तव में उसका कारण क्या है, बिना कारण जाने निवारण असम्भव है। मैं देखता हूँ कि अधिकतर लोग बिना कारण जाने ही निवारण करना चाहते हैं , कोई मुझसे ये नहीं पूछता कि मुझे क्रोध क्यों आता है, लोग पूछते हैं कि मैं अपने क्रोध का अंत कैसे करूँ ? कोई यह प्रश्न नहीं करता कि मेरे अंदर अंहकार का बीज कहां से आया , लोग पूछते हैं कि मैं अपना अहंकार कैसे ख़त्म करूँ ?

प्रिय शिष्यों , जिस प्रकार रस्सी में में गांठें लग जाने पर भी उसका बुनियादी स्वरुप नहीं बदलता उसी प्रकार मनुष्य में भी कुछ विकार आ जाने से उसके अंदर से अच्छाई के बीज ख़त्म नहीं होते। जैसे हम रस्सी की गांठें खोल सकते हैं वैसे ही हम मनुष्य की समस्याएं भी हल कर सकते हैं। इस बात को समझो कि जीवन है तो समस्याएं भी होंगी ही , और समस्याएं हैं तो समाधान भी अवश्य होगा, आवश्यकता है कि हम किसी भी समस्या के कारण को अच्छी तरह से जानें, निवारण स्वतः ही प्राप्त हो जाएगा । ” , महात्मा बुद्ध ने अपनी बात पूरी की।

Thought of the day - Ye dar kaisa...

What does "Bandh" mean in India?

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Quote of the day - My pain...

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The darkness is upon us....

When I was a kid, I still remember that we used to have a hand-pump in our home and it used to be there in most homes especially in small towns and villages. It used to draw water from the underground and we used to use it for our household activities including drinking water without any filters etc.

Then came the time when the need for filtering the water was felt and most homes used to keep simple filters to remove bigger particles like mud etc which used to be present in almost negligible quantity. But still to be on safer side, filters became a trend among most households.

The time has changed very rapidly over last couple of decades and our environment is no exception to the change. In last one decade or so, electric water purifiers also known as ROs have become a common sight in almost every middle class home and even penetrating homes of lower class people who don't want to take a risk with their children's health and manage to purchase a RO somehow. Water pollution has reached such a level that we won't like to consume the water directly from any source till it is filtered (Purified as these advertisements of ROs say).

And then came the "Air". Air pollution is being called to be a problem for a long time now, may be more than a decade. People were often seen wearing masks during last couple of years, when they step outside their homes and offices. And now...

Now the time has come that you are not safe even inside your homes. Air purifiers are starting to penetrate our homes now and may be they are going to become a need sooner than we realize. If we had told someone in 20th century that the air you breathe is not clean and you must filter it, we would had been seen as an alien. But not anymore.

And this change has not happened over a century or over a millennia. It has happened over a couple of decades only. And may be this generation born towards the end of 20th century, will live long enough to see their children cry for clean air. Who knows that we may live and see our next generation checking their oxygen mask even before checking their wallet and documents, before they leave their house for their office. Is this the future we want to give to our children and their children. Can't we give up a little of our luxuries and comfort for a better and cleaner future for our next generation. If not, then I can only say that "The darkness is upon us and will strike us sooner than we can ever imagine"

to be continued...

आप का सलाहकार कौन है...

किसी समस्या का समाधान इस बात पर निर्भर करता है
कि आप का सलाहकार कौन है? 
दुर्योधन शकुनी से सलाह लेता था।
अर्जुन श्री कृष्ण से सलाह लेते थे।

परिवार - परिवार होता है, अपना हो या आपके जीवनसाथी का

एक पार्क मे दो बुजुर्ग बातें कर रहे थे....

पहला :- मेरी एक पोती है, शादी के लायक है... BE किया है, नौकरी करती है, कद - 5"2 इंच है.. सुंदर है, कोई लडका नजर मे हो तो बताइएगा..

दूसरा :- आपकी पोती को किस तरह का परिवार चाहिए...??

पहला :- कुछ खास नही.. बस लडका ME /M.TECH किया हो, अपना घर हो, कार हो, घर मे एसी हो, अपने बाग बगीचा हो, अच्छा job, अच्छी सैलरी, कोई लाख रू. तक हो...

दूसरा :- और कुछ...


पहला :- हाँ सबसे जरूरी बात.. अकेला होना चाहिए.. मां-बाप,भाई-बहन नही होने चाहिए.. वो क्या है लडाई झगड़े होते है...

दूसरे बुजुर्ग की आँखें भर आई फिर आँसू पोछते हुए बोला - मेरे एक दोस्त का पोता है उसके भाई-बहन नही है, मां बाप एक दुर्घटना मे चल बसे, अच्छी नौकरी है, डेढ़ लाख सैलरी है, गाड़ी है बंगला है, नौकर-चाकर है..

पहला :- तो करवाओ ना रिश्ता पक्का..

दूसरा :- मगर उस लड़के की भी यही शर्त है की लडकी के भी मां-बाप,भाई-बहन या कोई रिश्तेदार ना हो... कहते कहते उनका गला भर आया.. फिर बोले :- अगर आपका परिवार आत्महत्या कर ले तो बात बन सकती है.. आपकी पोती की शादी उससे हो जाएगी और वो बहुत सुखी रहेगी....

पहला :- ये क्या बकवास है, हमारा परिवार क्यों करे आत्महत्या.. कल को उसकी खुशियों मे, दुःख मे कौन उसके साथ व उसके पास होगा...

दूसरा :- वाह मेरे दोस्त, खुद का परिवार, परिवार है और दूसरे का कुछ नही... मेरे दोस्त अपने बच्चो को परिवार का महत्व समझाओ, घर के बडे ,घर के छोटे सभी अपनो के लिए जरूरी होते है... वरना इंसान खुशियों का और गम का महत्व ही भूल जाएगा, जिंदगी नीरस बन जाएगी...

पहले वाले बुजुर्ग बेहद शर्मिंदगी के कारण कुछ नही बोल पाए...

दोस्तों परिवार है तो जीवन मे हर खुशी, खुशी लगती है; अगर परिवार नही तो किससे अपनी खुशियाँ और गम बांटोगे...

Panel recommends quota for girl students in IITs*

So, yet another political card played in the name of development. Rather than focusing on the core issue of improving the quality of basic education, the govt. may shed off ts responsibility towards women empowerment by adding reservation to already strained reservation system in some of the top engineering institutes of India (i.e. IITs)

The question here is, weather such move will actually help the nation or harm it more. After the formation of new IITs and IIMs the value of these brands has already depleted and now adding reserved seats will help to deteriorate the already strained educational system in few top colleges in the country. Not that the female students entering the IITs will be of inferior quality w.r.t. other students in these colleges. But adding reservation means the competitive level is being degraded. A student (female) who was not going to enter the top educational institute will now be able to make it just because she is of a particular sex. Its not gonna help her or the institute to improve her quality as a student or as a researcher etc., but will only add demand on the limited resources available with the institute for its students. 

And if reservation is the only criteria to bring equality, why not enforce it in private sector? It can't because private sector is there to make profits and they won't submit easily to any move like reservation, which may harm their business. If reservation makes them equal (those who are given reservation) then why this private sector is afraid of them? Its simply because reservation don't give them equality. it only satisfies their greed and need for an easy seat or easy job. Equality can only be reached by making things (or making men//women) more competitive.

So, should there be no reservation? Ideally yes. But practically it is not going to happen due to cheap politics being played in the name of reservation just to gather a few more votes. What we don't understand is that reservation shall be made available in a form to encourage competition rather than as a tool that discourages competition and develops hatred among colleagues. Reservation not only snatches away the chance of a better future from a deserving candidate but also puts burden on the country's resources. These top educational institutes which should have developed top brains of our country are becoming a meager factories producing not so good products in mass quantity rather than quality products. 

So, even though I support the moves to bring forward the women and other weaker sections of society forward, it shall be done by eliminating discrimination. It shall be done by punishing those who discriminate others based on caste/religion/sex. But it shall not be done in the way of reservation. We need not to feed them free lunch but we need to make them competitive enough so that they can compete hard with everyone else irrespective of their caste/color/religion and sex. Only then our nation will truly move forward.

*Source of news (23-01-2016): 
(1) http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Panel-recommends-quota-for-girl-students-in-IITs/article17042610.ece
(2) http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/women-to-get-20-reservation-in-iits-here-s-what-iit-d-students-have-to-say/story-bIMoSgalggLuQf3PHMdIOI.html

Old notes deposited in the bank won't go in-noticed

आखिर मोदी जी की सरकार ने अपना एक और पता खोल ही दिया। २.५ लाख से अधिक मूल्य के पुराने नोट बैंक खाते में जमा करने पर  आयकर विभाग को जाएगी और फिर वो पहले से परेसान और दबे कुचले आम आदमी को परेशान करने आ पहुंचेंगे। ये मान  सकते हैं की इस कदम से बहुत सा काला धन रखने वाले पकड़ में आ सकते है पर ज़्यादा परेशान होगा वो आम आदमी जिसने किसी भी कारण से घर में अपनी मेहनत से कमाया पैसा जमा किया हुआ था और बैंक में जमा नही करवाया था।  परेशान होगा वो आम नागरिक जिसके घर में बेटे या बेटी की शादी वाली है और जिसने अपनी मेहनत की कमाई निकलवाई थी ताकी वो शादी के खर्चे कर सके और मेहमानों को सगन दे सके जो अब केवल रद्दी के टुकड़े बन गए हैं।  मोदी जी ये चाहते हैं की मेहमानों को सगन के रूप में "चेक" अथवा "डेबिट कार्ड" दिए जाएँ? क्या बैंड वाले, मिठाई वाले, पंडाल वाले, घोड़ी वाले और बाकि सभी छोटे व्यापारी आज की तारिख में डेबिट कार्ड अथवा नेट बैंकिंग के रास्ते अपना भुगतान लेने के लिए तैयार हैं? सिर्फ इसलिए की ज़्यादातर "मॉल्स" में प्लास्टिक मनी स्वीकार की जाती है, क्या सभी छोटे दुकानदार प्लास्टिक मनी के लिए तैयार हैं? बिना उन्हें तैयार करे आम आदमी की जेब से पैसा छीन लेना उन  दुकानदारों की आय पर वार नही है, जीनके ग्राहक अब दूसरी बड़ी दुकानों पर जाने को मजबूर हो जायेंगे क्योंकि उनकी जेब में डेबिट कार्ड है पर नोट नही।  बड़े रिश्वतखोर तो अपनी अधिकतर काली कमाई बचा लेंगे किसी न किसी रूप में, फस जाएगी उनकी जान जो अपने घर को ठीक करवाना चाहते थे या न्या  घर लेने वाले थे पर अब वो पैसा वापिस बैंक में जमा करवाने पर उन्हें सो तरह के सवाल पूछे जायेंगे।  मकसद भले ही सही हो पर त्योहारों और शादी के इस मौसम में आम आदमी की जेब से पैसा छीन लेना कहाँ तक उचित है?

AIADMK vows free mobiles, laptops with internet, free electricity in manifesto*

Another election season has come and yet another season to offer lolly-pops (sweet candy) to the voters. The ruling party AIADMK has promised so many freebies to the voters that some people may feel it useless to go to work and demand the state to provide them meals and home and clothes and other luxuries for free. And the freebies are offered in such a manner that even those who will pay for these freebies (indirectly) will feel happy that they are getting everything for free. Assuming that no-corruption takes place in distribution of these freebies (which is highly unlikely), These freebies are being offered by the govt from the state treasury which is the fund of the common man and not meant to be distributed for anyone's political interests and personal benefits. The question is that are these good enough for the citizens to re-elect the ruling party once again and shouldn't these freebies be considered as open bribes to lure the voters?.

Whenever the election approaches in any state or in the country, political parties try to offer various attractive schemes and offers to the voters to attract them towards their party and get maximum possible votes. Offering discounts like subsidies, even though not good for economy, may still be considered as a more logical approach since the things are not totally free of cost. When things start coming for free, they are misused by the beneficiaries. But if the very same person has to pay (at least) a part for enjoying the benefit of that same thing (like electricity), they tend to use it more wisely. 

Every time the elections come, parties (in general) tend to announce the waiver of loans for farmers (a very common happening). This encourages the people to start defaulting willfully and the defaulters also become relaxed that the loans will be waived off the next election season, so why worry about paying the loans. Similar thing happens for pending electricity / water bills. The result is that the honest bill payers feel cheated. Either they continue to be honest while feeling cheated or they also get encouraged to start defaulting on the hope that next time their bills/ loans will also be waived off. But who will pay for those bills/Loans. The money  is going to come from the taxpayers pockets and the money that could have been used to build the roads and other infrastructure has not (indirectly) gone into the pockets of the defaulters who otherwise are criminals (if one doesn't pay bills/loan, they can be challenged in courts and can be punished - thus tag: criminals)

The decision to announce free internet or Rs 500 coupons on pongal etc are nothing more than open bribes. And if that has to be done, better fund it from their party fund. Why are these parties spending the taxpayers' hard earned money for their individual interests. This money was paid as tax so that govt can develop infrastructure, and provide job opportunities to them and their children, and not to use it to gain political power for handful of people. 

Why there is no check on such things which is not only effecting the common man, but also the economy as a whole. Why the common man is made to feel cheated and made to feel helpless when the govt is expected to be "by the people, of the people, for the people." Its time (though unlikely) that we the voters understand this political games and cast our votes to someone who will make our present and our future a better place to live.

* Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/elections/aiadmk-vows-free-mobiles-laptops-with-internet-free-electricity-in-manifesto-116050501230_1.html

**Disclaimer: The content writer is neither a resident of the state under consideration and neither a supporter nor a critic of any political party. These views are purely based upon the topic under consideration i.e. freebies to voters

For more such articles, please visit: http://khabrein-zara-hat-ke.blogspot.com/

Odd-even gone, city doesn't know why air not clear yet (TOI)

New Delhi:

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Is There A Need For Change In Approach? Experts Debate

If these (steps) didn't reduce pollution, what would, asked an exasperated Supreme Court on May 1, a day after the odd-even scheme ended with no apparent fall in air pollution.

The judges listed a series of measures that have been taken over the years apart from the two-phase odd-even. These steps include a ban on registration of diesel vehicles over 2000cc, an environment compensation charge on trucks plying through the city and a CNG requirement for public transport vehicles and taxis.

Supreme Court of India has taken initiative to try and control the rising level of pollution in Delhi. But, from the news article published in "Times of India" it seems that the h'ble judges of supreme court are either too dumb or don't have sufficient advice available to understand the impact of the proposed solutions.

Coming to the main topic (NEWS Headlines: Odd-even gone, city doesn't know why air not clear yet) we need to ask ourselves that are these measures really good enough to curb the pollution level? Not being an expert but from the point of view of a layman, let’s try to understand a few things:

Odd-Even scheme: The traffic density in Delhi and nearby areas has increased manifold s in recent years. But traffic in Delhi still contributes 10-15% of pollution in Delhi ⁽¹⁾. Considering the odd even scheme as implemented in first 2 phases; the pollution level can be dropped by about 50% in ideal case since half the vehicles will only be there on the roads. Now add the exceptions. Two wheelers are exempted which individually cause lower pollution than cars but due to their huge numbers they contribute almost as much of the pollution as cars do. So, half the amount of reduced pollution level can be added back (Thus only 25% reduction ideally) Now we can add the pollution due to exemption to VVIPs, ladies, commercial vehicles etc and the effective reduction in vehicular pollution is only 10-15%. Now the vehicles contribute about 15% to total pollution; means that only about 2% of total pollution is controlled ideally (10-15% reduction of 15% of total pollution caused due to vehicles) Of course these are not exact numbers but it gives a picture about why pollution level has not decreased even after odd-even scheme.

The second step taken by h’ble Supreme Court was to ban the registration of diesel vehicles above 2000cc. Even though the move is appreciated, the question is what will be its impact on air pollution. These cars include a number of luxury cars like AUDI, BMW, Mercedes etc. and few vehicles more commonly used for commercial purpose like Bolero. As per information available (unconfirmed), there are more than 85 Lakh vehicles registered in Delhi as on  31-03-2015 ⁽²⁾; and also that the sale of these vehicles contribute a very low amount to total vehicles sale in Delhi. For example, Maruti Swift alone had an average sales figure of more than 15000 units per month in 2015-16, which is even higher than total vehicular sales affected by this decision to ban some vehicles registration. So, why ban only a few selected vehicles. Secondly the vehicles can be registered by the affluent class in other states and can be used in Delhi as only registration is banned not the sales or their use (as of date). So, why are we crying that pollution level has not come down when we have targeted only the minor contributor to the pollution?

An environment compensation charge on trucks plying through the city: Seriously? Do we really expect it to have any considerable effect on the pollution level? We are not banning them but only taking extra charges to allow them to pollute the air. These vehicles are mostly used for commercial purposes and barring a few, most others will simply pass on these additional charges to the end-users/ consumers who will bear the heat of these charges. How do we actually expect it to have any visible effect on air pollution?

Residents of Delhi may still remember the days when most vehicles used to run on diesel and petrol and no CNG. The pollution level on roads especially was so high that it had become dangerous to venture out on the roads and inhale the polluted air. Then came a decision to convert all the buses/taxis etc to CNG. And the result was a much cleaner Delhi. That kind of change is what is required now. A change in technology, a step forward to move to a better technology is what is required to move ahead. These minor steps taken as an initiative are appreciated but are not going to have any major impact on pollution level in the long run. And it needs a commitment from the citizens of Delhi and those from nearby areas to make the change effective.

Sources:

⁽¹⁾ The first major study was carried out in 2008 by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) with the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). It identified road dust as the biggest contributor (52.5%) to particulate matter in Delhi’s air, followed by industries (22.1%). The study attributed only 6.6% of particulate emissions to vehicles. For NOx, the study found industries contributed 79% and vehicles 18%; vehicles were the main source for CO and hydrocarbons: 59% and 50% respectively - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/vehicle-exhaust-dust-what-fouls-the-air-the-most-studies-disagree/#sthash.DOe5ED5K.dpuf

⁽²⁾ The Delhi Statistical Handbook 2014-15, a report by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Delhi Government, reveals there are 88.27 lakh registered vehicles in Delhi as on 31 March 2015. Four-wheelers that include cars, jeeps and taxis constitute 32.51% of the total vehicles registered with the Transport Department of Delhi.

Interestingly, two-wheelers far outnumber four-wheelers, making up around 64% (nearly double the number of four-wheelers) of the vehicles plying on Delhi roads.

Indian Bullet Train: Is it good for the Indian government to really invest in the bullet trains? Is India really ready for it?

Yes - it's a difficult question but I lean towards a Yes.

I feel the Indian Government needs to focus on building new cities. It needs move more Tier-2 (Classified as Y) cities to Tier-1 (X) classification by investing and allocating adequate resources in them. The migration towards urban societies should not be just limited to Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata (& the other Tier-1/Classified as 'X' Cities). We need to start thinking more about organic growth rather than quick economic growth.

But, these developments do not have to work in sequence. The basics should run parallel with developments like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor. This rail corridor is one of the busiest routes in the country and has the potential to connect the capital in addition to Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).

As the project takes shape and the smaller cities develop between Mumbai and Ahmadabad, the migration of people towards urban environments would be distributed (hopefully, reducing the impact on already over-burdened Mumbai)

The proposed train route is through the densest cities/towns in Maharashtra and Gujarat. This will also ease the burden on the current railways. Obtaining tickets on the exisiting Shatabdi (and other trains) for frequent business travelers is often difficult in terms of seat availability. The Shinkansen-styled line would improve this situation.

As per estimates, the number of passengers using the train line is predicted to be around 200,000/day by 2050. Roughly a ten fold increase from the 2020 estimate.

This is certainly a big step in Indian Infrastructure, and definitely a good one. There are several major hurdles to implement this project. Mumbai is extremely crowded/dense, building a high speed rail line in between the city will require large-scale restructuring and other city-design initiatives. However, if they are executed swiftly and efficiently, it will be a tremendous achievement in India's bright future.

For a moment just Imagine Delhi without Metro. Do you think that Delhi's even-odd formula to curb pollution  have worked despite Metro? In fact, if there was no Delhi Metro, govt would have banned all private vehicles. We might have been asked to use cycle instead of cars or even bikes.

Though at beginning this wan't an easy ride for govt to bring subway system of west into "poor India". In 1995 then PM PVN Rao and Delhi CM ML Khurana conceived the Idea of Rapid Rail system in Delhi.  Many people then questioned govt motive and priorities. They accused govt of ignoring poor masses and working for elites. This is why project was in cold basket until PM Atal Bihari Vajpeyee decided to run it in 1998. E. Sreedharan (Metro Man)  was given responsibility.

Again many protested, questioned and raised doubt against this project. Here I've found one such "The Hindu" article (Delhi Metro: Gliding over controversies)  questioning viability of "Tube System" in India:

1. How "poor India" will afford to finance "Subway System" of "rich west"?

2. Who will provide spare parts and Technologies?

3. Why should we focus on "Quality of Service"?

You know eventually Delhi Metro have answered all such Questions. Now a days we don't see such questions instead people are demanding more Metro Coaches and more no of Lines for city.

But think what if then PM ABV had not seen the future and kept it in cold. What if E. Sreedharan compromised on QoS? Fate of Delhi metro would have same as Kolkata Metro.

Currently we have Rapid Transit system in  other cities too like Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Lucknow and Jaipur (Sorry, If I missed any.). In fact every city with population of 2 million and more planning to have it's own metro service.

Here is some of the few details about project which can answer some doubts on Bullet Trains.

1. Who will fund this project?

Obviously GoI but Japan Has extended Loan of 1 lakh Crore to be paid at 0.1% Interest rate over the period of 50 years.  So on yearly basis govt have to pay 2000cr+ 2 crore as interest. Can we afford this amount? Yes, we can.

(Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train estimated project cost Rs 98,000 crore   | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis )

2. Who will provide technology and is India ready to handle High Speed trains?

Japanese govt will provide all technologies related to this project. it will be based on Shinkansen  which is known for it's reliability and safety. Project will take minimum 15 years.

On the issue of handling, remember we have reached to the mars, this should be a least technical concern.

3. Who will buy tickets?

We will. If price estimation is true then we have to pay only Rs. 2800 for one way trip from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. It's much cheaper than Flight service and slightly costlier than AC-II coaches. Also flights can only carry 100 people at one trip while Bullet trains in Japan carries 1500 people.

Remember a true leader is who Learn from Past, Work for Present and Think about future.

*Source: https://www.quora.com

What EdUcAtIoN SyStEm has given me !!!

There have been lot of jokes and sarcastic remarks on our education system and its importance in our professional lives. Even today while browsing a page on facebook, i came across a post: "Sometimes I just want to go back to school, attend a class and abruptly shout - KYO PADHA RHE HO. YE KYA ***** KAAM AAYEGA?" 

While it may be true for some, but it may not be a general statement which holds a universal truth. There's a saying that - "A teacher can only teach students as much as they are ready to learn". A teacher imparts same education to all the students but still some of them become toppers in the class while others fail. Why?

I am not saying that my views expressed below are universal truth but these may be felt true by a lot of us who will spare time to think about it. So, today after reading the above said post on facebook, I thought of sharing my experience about - What our education system has taught me & how it has helped me in my personal & professional life.

ABILITY TO INTERACT PROFESSIONALLY is something that I had learnt during my school days. Interacting with the teachers, with classmates and friends and with the other staff members of the school was the first experience I gained in my school, that is still helpful in my professional & personal life.

HISTORY is one of my least liked subjects. And sometimes I wonder if it was really necessary. But if we think deeply, it was one subject that had potential to influence our moral values. The feeling of patriotism and unity & the importance of freedom was something that history has taught us and has ingrained in our values itself

LANGUAGE - be it Hindi or English or any other regional language is taught in our schools that we use for our whole life. But being a part of our daily routine, we forget its importance in our life and the fact that our schools only had taught us how to read & write. 

Coming to the professional studies (like engineering/MBBS/MBA etc.) it may seem wasteful and useless in our jobs, but are they totally meaningless? If that be the case then why a company specifies to have degree in mechanical engineering or MBA in finance and not have general demand that any graduate can apply (like in banks)

What I had learnt depends on how I view it. The engineering course had provided me with the first opportunity to visit a manufacturing facility and see how things happen in the industries. I learnt that how the small components we see in the machines & the vehicles are manufactured with precision and my course helped me to understand those operations. The course may not have taught me how to operate a lathe machine, but thats not what I as an engineer is supposed to do. I need to be able to read the drawings and understand the design and implications of any deviation or change.

In short if I say, a whole building can not be built in a day. Our education system does the work of laying the foundation for us to build upon it. How and what we build over it is upto us, but to blame that the education system is useless and good for nothing is not justified in my personal opinion. There is always a scope for improvement in all fields and our education system is no exception. But it doesn't means that the present system is scrap. Please respect the System that has enabled us to become what we are today.  

Mysteries From India - The Village Of Twins

Kodinhi is a village in Malappuram district in Kerala, India. Administered by the Nannambra panchayat, the village came to international attention for the unusually large number of multiple births in the region.

Kodinhi only has around 2,000 families, yet there are 250 sets of twins officially registered there. In fact, there could be many more—experts estimate there could be as many as 350 sets of twins in the area.

Despite several studies being conducted, the exact cause of this phenomenon is yet to be ascertained. Women from Kodinhi married off to faraway places are also known to give birth to twins. The number of twin births in Kodinhi has been increasing over the years

Research has suggested that the multiple births could be related to the eating habits of the women in the region; though no direct correlation between dietary intake and twin births has been observed.

Doctors have absolutely no idea what is causing this strange phenomenon. They assume there must be some unknown hereditary factor at work, or maybe it’s something they eat. Until they find out for sure, the Village of Twins remains one of the strangest curiosities of perhaps the most mysterious country in the world

Similar phenomenon of a large number of twin births within a small isolated community has been observed in Cândido Godói, Brazil & in the town of Igbo-Ora in Nigeria

The Indian Voters Dilemma - by Chetan Bhagat

Congress, BJP and AAP represent a choice between dishonesty and incompetence 

Lets say you have a fleet of cars.You hire a driver.He drives reasonably well but starts stealing money.When you give him money to refuel,he puts in less petrol and pockets the rest.When you send the car for servicing,he asks the service centre to inflate the bills and takes a cut. The system of the house is the driver has the home safe keys.Hence,he can take out whatever money he wants and claim he needs it for the cars.Soon,the stealing becomes excessive.Not a day goes by without you hearing what the driver stole today.

Sick of all this,you change the driver.Over time,the second driver starts stealing too.It is so easy to pilfer after all.Also,the reason the new driver was hired was not because of his honesty but because of his colour, caste or religion.Hence the robberies continue.

The suffering owners switch between the two drivers,but the stealing doesn't stop.Soon,a third driver emerges and applies for a job.He is extremely honest and passionate,even though he has no experience.Delighted,you hire him to drive one of your small cars.

This new driver doesn't steal money.However,he breaks the tail-lights while reversing the car on the first day.The next day,he crashes the car at a signal.The third day,he forgets to refuel and you are stranded on the road.The fourth day,he stands in the middle of the road and screams at every other car owner,calling them thieves for not hiring him. 

The fifth day,he wants all drivers to come on the road and not follow the red lights.When you confront the new driver about his unruly behaviour and incompetence at the wheel,he screams at you instead.How dare you question an honest driver It only means you are supporting robbers. Scared,you become quiet.Next,he wants to change everything,and control every car.You are not sure,and you wonder what to do.Disgusted,he quits. 

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the first two drivers are Congress and BJP,and the third one is AAP.It is the dilemma we Indians are stuck with.

The earlier drivers cheated us.The new driver is not competent but already arrogant.He assumes a sense of virtuous entitlement,with the right to slander,attack and judge anyone who criticises him. AAP is honest.Their intentions could be good.However,being as kind as possible to my AAP friends,there are four major flaws in their workings.

One,their policies are downright loony.No matter what they say about embracing capitalism,the mentality seems to be anti-business  anti-jobs, anti wealth creation and geared towards total government control. These are the exact policies which lead to nepotism and corruption over the long run. 

Second,they have a misplaced sense of priorities.There were a hundred good things their Delhi government could have done,without any opposition.They didn't. They focused on the most newsworthy events,to gain the maximum applause in the shortest span of time and quit. They also believe the issues they raise should be top priority for all media,intellectuals,political leaders of the country,else the latter are biased.They took on a sub judice matter about the Ambanis,and wanted the whole world to talk about it.If you didnt comply,you were obviously on Ambanis payroll.

Third,AAP is unable to get along with anybody who's not AAP. They hate all political opponents,police and media if these entities dont dance to their tune.This makes AAP quite incompetent in building consensus for decisions in a country as diverse as India. 

Four,the hypocrisy of AAP is visible already.From going soft on allegations against their own,the very act of using the system to gain political power but not following it when it doesn't suit them,one sees them as being opportunistic more than do-gooders.

All this can change.The third driver can learn how to drive.Similarly,the first two drivers can learn to stop stealing.Whether the honest have to be made competent,or the competent have to turn honest all this will require a certain humility,sadly missing on all sides.In such a scenario,what should the Indian voter do.

 

Of course,there is no one answer.None of the alternatives is perfect yet.Please don't let them feel that they are.If you choose AAP,you may have a little less corruption (it cannot all go away so fast) but you risk having bizarre policies,failed experiments and more antics than action.You risk a further slowdown in economic growth and a decade of fewer jobs as AAP treats the country like a laboratory.

If you choose the existing alternatives you may have more stability,likely return to growth,more jobs.But corruption may not be as much a priority as you would have liked.Choose wisely.Select those who are humble and willing to change,as everyone needs to.It will take a few iterations before we get leadership that is both honest and competent.Let us hope it happens sooner rather than later.

*Source: Times of India newspaper dated 22 Feb 2014