विचार-मंथन -भाग १ - सड़क

आजकल हम सब एक गतिशील जीवन चक्र मैं फसें है । हर कोई अपने जीवन मैं सफल होना चाहता है । इस होड़ मैं जीवन के मुलभुत सुख हम पूरी तरह से नही उपभोगते है । मेरे मन मैं एक विचार आया क्यों ना कोई अच्छी चीज हम करे जिससे लोगों का मनोरंजन भी हो जाए एवेम बुद्धिजीवियों के विचारो का आदान प्रदान भी आसानी से हो। इसी चाह मैं हमने यानी मैं, हरीश , विकास और प्रसाद , हम सबने यह सोच के यह ब्लॉग बनाया है।
ब्लॉग की दुनिया बड़ी न्यारी है। हम किसी आदमी तक अपने विचार बड़ी ही कुशलता से पंहुचा सकते है।

चलिए अब हम फिर हमने गतिशील जीवन के मुद्दे पे आते है।
बड़े महानगरो मैं हर सेकंड की बहुत कीमत होती है । हर देरी भारी नुक्सान के लिए जिम्मेदार हो सकती है। अब एक उदहारण ले लीजिये इस गतिशीलता का --> हर सड़क के मुख्य चौराहों पे रास्ता पार करने के लिए जेब्रा क्रॉसिंग बने हुए है। इन क्रॉसिंग का उपयोग इसलिए करना चाहिए ताकि भारी ट्रैफिक मैं हम बिना किसी अड़चन के रास्ता पार करे। क्या आपने बंगलोर की सड़को पे इस नियम का पालन करते हुए किसी को देखा है। अगर कोई पादचारी रास्ता पार करने की कोशिश करने रास्ते पर निकल आए तो वहां चालक उसी पे अपना वाहन चला देंगे। क्या हम अपने वक्त का एक क्षण इस चीज़ के लिए नही दे सकते ? और तो और रास्ते के दूसरी और से अमेरिका मैं प्रशिक्षित वाहन चालक बाए जगह से जाने के बजाये दाए और से आयेंगे। इसका मतलब गाड़ी चलाए हुए दोहरे संकट क सामना करना पड़ेगा। विक्सित देशों मैं हार्न बजाना असभ्यता की निशानी होती है और हमारे यहाँ हार्न बजाये बगैर तो गाड़ी ही नही हिलेगी। गाय बैल तो रास्ते को अपनी गोशाला समझते है। सड़क के किनारे के कुत्ते तो कुत्तियों को ताकते फिरते है। इसी बीच अगर कोई कुत्ती रास्ता क्रॉस कर किसी और कुत्ते के पास जाए तो सब कुत्ते हमारे नेताओं की तरह भोकने लगते है। रास्ते के दोनों और बड़े बड़े गतिरोधक है। ऐसे और दो एक एक करके डाल दे तो मोटोक्रोस स्पर्धा क आयोजन भी आसानी से हो सकता है ।
अब करते है ट्रैफिक जाम की बात। भाई साहब आप तो अंदाजा ही लगन छोड़ देंगे जब आपको पता चले की आपका कितना कीमती वक्त इस ट्रैफिक मैं जाया होता है।
मान लीजिये आपको अपने ऑफिस जाने के लिए १ घंटा लगता है। अब इस समय मैं आप कम से कम (बंगलोर मैं तो सही ) आधा घंटा ट्रैफिक मैं व्यतीत करते है। इस हिसाब से दिन क हुआ १ घंटा। महीने के २२ दिन मतलब २२ घंटे और ऐसे १२ महीने मतलब कुल मिला के २६४ घंटे यानी की ११ दिन। आप इस कीमती समय का मूल्य अभी नही समझ पायेगे। ट्रैफिक जाम मैं फसने पे तो आदमी हर तरफ़ से वायु प्रदुषण क शिकार होता है। हिटलर भाईसाहब तो कब के चले गए और यह ट्रक वालें और फट-फटिये छोड़ गए गैस चैंबर के जगह आ गए हम बेचारे भारतीयों को तंग करने । अगर कोई गर्भवती महिला इन सडको पे से जायेगी और अगर वोह इन जाम मैं फस गई तो अगले दिन अखबारों मैं यह भी ख़बर आ ही जायेगी की महिला ने बच्चे को बस मैं जन्म दिया।
वैसे अभी तो सब रास्ते गाड़ियों से ही भरे हुए है। पादचारियों के लिए तो कोई जगह नही है। गरीब आदमी भी आजकल फूट पाथ पे चैन से सो नही सकता की कही कोई सलमान उन पे गाड़ी ना चला दे।
कभी तो मुझे इन बस ड्राईवर पे दया आती है इस बात की, की यह लोग दिन भर इस घटिया वायु मैं अपना स्वस्थ्य ख़राब कर, घटिया सड़कों पे घटिया ट्रैफिक के बीच चला के जिंदा कैसे रहते है।
हमारा देश दुनिया के सामने मिसाल दे रहा है की हम कोई भी परिस्तिथी मैं भी जी सकते है। आखीर हम कब सुधरेंगे ? कब हम मूलभूत सुविधा के साथ साथ सड़कों की तरफ़ ध्यान देंगे। चीन के और हम बहुत ध्यान देते है और चीन की तरह प्रगति करने की भाषा करते है , लेकिन कभी सड़कों के बारे मैं कुछ क्यों नही करते।
हालत इसी तरह बरक़रार रहेंगे जब तक एक दिन ऐसा ना आ जाए की आदमी मरने पर भी दफनाने के लिए जगह ना बची हो और बगल मैं एक कार पार्क की गई हो।

Poverty in India - Analysis and Possible Solutions

Thomas Friedman said in his book " the world is flat " that capitalism is the cause for unequal wealth but socialism is a cause for equal poverty amongst the people.
India is a confused country which tried to adapt socialism at start and now slowly moving to capitalism. We are almost through the first decade of 21st century and still India rising doesn't seem to appeal us.
Let us see what India has done for the statistics sake.
When India really became free in 1947, following were the troubles it had to face when it had no experience of running the government, Literacy, poverty, and caste dominance on the society with more than 300 provinces and more than 1200 languages and dialects. The public transport was pathetic, country had no money to run government and do public welfare, the people were ignorant of changes happening in
neighborhood countries and Hindu-Muslims had a friction due to the newly formed Pakistan surrounded on both sides. However the government tried the best in the initial few years and then suddenly lost the war. The population explosion was unbearable for the Indian soil and country faced the hunger and poverty to the maximum.
This scenario was clearly evident from the following statistics.
Year 1947
literacy rate: 28%
% population below poverty line: 47%
India had started out in the 1950s with:

• high growth rates
• openness to trade and investment
• a promotional state
• expenditure awareness
• macro stability

literacy rate: 45%
% population below poverty line: 51% (?????)
But we ended the 1980s with:

• growth rates (Hindu rate of growth)(only 3.5% growth per annum)
• closure to trade and investment
• a license-obsessed, restrictive state (License Raj)
• inability to sustain social expenditures
• macro instability, indeed crisis.

The country faced a severe shortage of money and finally in the end of the license raj the economy was made open to all. This changed the scenario completely. The Chinese had achieved the unpredictable development since 1979 and now India had joined the league. Other nations surrounding India including rival Pakistan had no intention of keeping their economy as such lazy. They were already practicing and achieving good growth rate during this time. By the end of 2009 government introduced a lot of schemes which have caused the economy to boom and eradicate poverty. Opening the economy meant that we have a lot of investment and so we have a lot of new jobs created which would not had been possible. People getting fat salaries showed the unrealistic picture of economy rising but.....
The but came because of the shocking statistics which are revealed daily. India is achieving a growth rate of 8 % annually. But the population which is getting alleviated to the level of above poverty line is very less.
Today 27 % of population of India is still below poverty line and threshold of 1.5$ per day limit.
The challenge what India is facing today are:
1. Enmity with Pakistan and making the unavoidable war with Pakistan in future stretched currently like bubble-gum
2. The problem of caste and religions.
3. Corrupt politicians.
4. Imbalance of the regions.
5. Lack of infrastructure
6. water shortage in some and excess in others.
7. Linguistic differences.
8. Regional politics.
9. No strict rules for public sector employees on low performance.
10. Internal rebels Naxals, Bodos, etc.
11. long pending disputes within states and lack of neutrality with the problems.
12. Dumb legal system with a flaw for every law.
13. Reservation showed way to people and led to the competition nowhere seen in world in different communities to prove themselves more backward than others.

Phew I was only able to see these as major issues which we need to solve, may be you readers give in some comments for this article.It will be good to know about your views on this topic and suggestions.
I am no politician but APJ's vision 2020 for India doesn't seem realistic to me but with that I don't loose my hope. After all everything's are only statistics which can be overcome if all get united for a cause. If King Brutus could do everything to fight and win the kingdom by seeing a damn spider weaving his net with several unsuccessful attempts, i am no king Brutus but can definitely try for the stuff which can help he nation.

Indian Politics -Part unus-1-Congress

I always wanted to write some information of Indian political history. I felt that chossing congress party for the startup of this article was the most appropriate step to begin this series. Every week I shall write something on this topic.
The Blog will cover the history and current analysis of the parties through the minds of an individual like me who thinks that the common man never played any role in themaking of government.

PART 1 : The History
Lot of us has read in our History Text-books about the Indian freedom struggle.
We all read with whole devotion and get enraged for the atrocities by British government and also get equally patriotic for the sacrifice our forefathers have done for this gift of freedom.
Indian National Congress is one of the key-components of this freedom struggle. They are presently deciding and governing he fate of our country even after 60 years of freedom and still having strong roots in our linguistically and religiously diverse society where every individual is afraid of him/her getting lost by the future wave of globalization.
The Congress started its practicing of ideologies strongly due to mixed leaders from all religions. Lot of pro-British people whole heartedly supported congress due to the representation and importance the party had gained in the British dominated administration. All great leaders of freedom struggle were from Congress.
However this was the history. Lets Move to a time somewhere around 50’s when the country was newly republic and democratic union. At the beginning of the 50’s the new leaders from congress showed the people of India new dreams and hopes they never could imagine when they were under British rule. People had the full faith in the leadership since they were the servants of the people and supposed to be pure by heart. This illusion shattered once we enetered the 60’s as India was still not able to cope up its food production problem. People were starving in hunger when Nehru and her daughter were meeting JFK and fidel castro and giving the motto’s of hindi chini Bhai-Bhai while the common man of RK laxman dying by hunger.
People had begun to realize that congress has cheated them and messed up with the promises they had earlier given. However during this time secular thinking was still strong and so called fascist parties of Hindu Mahasabha and janasangh were never entertained during this period.
The 60’s saw the nation coming together for the wars between Sino India, Pak-India. The people were still feeling deprived of the rights. The end of sixties and beginning of seventies saw the end of license raj and green-revolution(visible only in Punjab and haryana). This made the country in terms of statistics self-sufficient.
The emergency of 76 sparked the rise of new wave of thinking individuals who were inspired by the Chinese revolution and were ready for equal rights for all Indians.
These changes led to first non-congress union government at the center and sparked a series of unstable governments due to lack of popular mandate and required plebiscite.
Nothing new happened in 80’s except the murder of Indira Gandhi which led to sympathy vote for congress and Rajeev Gandhi being chosen as the new prime-minister.
However 90’s marked the new revolution in Indian economy. It gave India the power to compete with the best and choose the best for the individuals. The almost bankrupt Indian Government finally broke its Hand Cuffs and rose like a Phoenix. The decade marked the rise of non-secular forces which took advantage of the Islamic terrorism in Kashmir and started agitation against Muslims. The Babri Masjid demolishment added spark to the boiling tension in the two communities and finally there were riots all over the country.
These changes led to rise of a Non secular party “BJP”. BJP was the fragment of the former Janasangh backed up by the VHP(vishwa Hindu Parishad”) and the RSS(“rashtriya swayam sevak sangh”). The BJP for the first time changed the indian political history by appearing a fierce competitor to the Congress. We shall discuss about BJP in some another Blog.
Congress however worked at the grass-root level and was successfully able to win in the begining of 21st century. The horizon of politics had been changed by the time then and development was the sole mandate people of majority of states voting for(forget the Hero Politics in South Indian states of TN and AP).
Congress present day is only shrinked to a party which is unable o accept its failure and trying to show hogwarts to the people claiming the responsibility of being a "Secular" party.
I shall discuss in next blog the regional parties, their rise and causes for each. Hope the blog was a refresher of your history.